Summary of the Homer School District 33C
Finance & Operations Committee Meeting
May 24, 2017
_________________________________________________________________________
Deb Martin, President Elizabeth Hitzeman, Vice President Karen DeFilippis,
Secretary
Russ Petrizzo, Member Adam Briner, Member Kevin DeSchaaf, Member Christine
Marcinkewicz, Member
At the May 24
th
Finance & Operations Committee meeting:
●
Christi Tyler, Interim Assistant Superintendent for Business, reported the City of Lockport
recently met with school administrators in the area and suggested they update their impact fee
schedules based on updated land appraisals. At the May 30, 2017 School Board meeting, the
Board will be asked to approve an updated fee schedule that will include an annual increase of
4 percent.
●
Tyler reported the baseball fields at Homer Junior High School are in high demand and that the
District would like to create more playing time and practice time for students and community
organizations by updating and improving the baseball fields at Butler School. The updated
fields would be used solely by Homer 33C teams, thereby increasing the availability of the
Homer Junior High School fields for outside organizations. Work will begin immediately at the
end of the current school year, if approved by the Board at the May 30, 2017 meeting.
●
Tyler reported the Goodings Grove PTO has been working hard to raise money for a new
playground at the school. The organization has raised $60,000 through various fundraisers.
The PTO is asking the District to contribute $70,000 toward the playground equipment and soft
surface area. Additional funds will be needed to pay for the site work.
●
Homer Junior High School Principal Troy Mitchell reported a committee of secretaries, District
office staff and teachers have been looking at various Student Information Systems (SIS) and
recommends the District go with PowerSchool to collect and store student information,
including master schedules, teacher gradebooks and reports. The committee found the system
easy to use, enabling students, parents and teachers to access grades on their smartphones.
If approved by the Board, the system will be in place for teachers to begin using for the 2018-
2019 school year. Arlene Siefert, Director of Technology, reported the system is expected to
cost about $55,400 the first year and $36,000-$40,000 annually to maintain.
●
Tyler reported the District’s legal counsel has looked over the District’s bus lease documents
with Midwest Transit. The Board will formally approve the documents at its next meeting.
●
Tyler reported the District’s agreement with a paper supplier ends June 30, 2017. It will seek
new bids beginning May 31, 2017. Rather than order a year’s worth of paper and store it (as it
has done in the past), the District will seek a three-year agreement and place orders on an as-
needed basis. The goal is to eliminate excess orders and free up space in the schools.
●
Tyler reported American Tower, a Wireless Tower Communication Operator that leases a cell
tower on District property at the transportation center, has approached the District and asked
to extend its current lease by five years. As an incentive, they’re offering a $40,000 signing
bonus. Petrizzo has asked the District to investigate what other companies pay to make sure
the District is getting the best deal.
●
Audience member Susan Koziarski questioned the use of single-ply toilet paper in school
restrooms. Glen Wysong, Director of Buildings and Grounds, explained the two-ply toilet paper
was clogging the pipes at Goodings Grove and Schilling schools. His department is
investigating ways to address the issue. In the meantime, one-ply toilet paper must be used at
the schools. It is not a cost-saving measure, he said, but a necessity.
The Next Regular School Board Meeting is May 30, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
