CAT Tracks for August 20, 2015

CAT Tracks for August 20, 2015

The Cairo Board of Education held it's Regular Meeting on Thursday, August 20, 2015, at 6 p.m.
The agenda follows....
...followed by "minutes" and handouts:

Minutes:
Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!!!
There was no closed session!!!
Adjournment was at 6:38 p.m.!!!

I'm sorry...
...but if you had attended as many BOE meetings as Madam CAT President and I...
...you would understand!!!
Although, in my advance years, my memory is not what it once was (or anything else for that matter!), this has got to be a first!!!
May it become the NEW NORMAL!!!

As for the 38 minutes:
All members of the BOE were present except for Vernon Stubblefield.
In place of "Examples of Excellence", new CJSHS Principal Nate Porter was asked to comment on his first week on the job. He reported that enrollment was 186 students in CJSHS combined and that he was expecting more after the holiday. Other than that, his assessment of the first week was that things were "going great" and that if this continued, it would be a perfect year. Superintendent Andrea Evers interjected that the faculty, staff, and students were all on board with uniforms and NO cell phone usage. (The prohibition of cell phones has been made a priority for this school year...for faculty, staff, and students.) Principal Porter also introduced his wife of 15 years to the BOE.)
Under the "Visitors" section, CAT President De De O'Shea came bearing gifts for the BOE...booklet forms of the newly ratified contract for 2014-2017.
Under the "Report of the Superintendent", Andrea Evers announced that the next BOE meeting was being pushed back to the 4th Thursday rather than the scheduled 3rd Thursday. So, mark your calendars: The next Regular BOE Meeting will be September 24th. Other than that, Superintendent Evers announced that every thing was going well with the new school year.
Under "Informational":

1. The "Board Biz" handout is below (at the very bottom, following all the finance stuff). What you see are pictures of students from the first week of school.
2. District Bookkeeper/Accountant Janiece Gibson informed the BOE of new legislation in Illinois that allows the District to finance their own bonds...keeping the interest "in house" instead of paying it to another entity. This will allow the District to earn much more money than the approximately $500 a month that it was receiving on it checking account. (Three handouts related to the venture are below. Following that is a summary of the deficit budget for the coming school year.)
3. IASB Representative Patrick Rice addressed the BOE concerning the School Board Recognition Program. Apparently the BOE is not eligible for two years, but needs to be doing the things that will insure recognition. One thing that he stressed was the BOE needed to send a delegate to this year's convention...for sure!

BOE Member Gabriel Harris took a few minutes to inform the BOE of recent conference on parental involvement that was conducted by schools in Alexander and Pulaski Counties. He said that the turnout was "Amazing" and that there are plans to host another conference next year.
As for "Requiring Action/Decisions By Board of Education"...
...as advertised!
Just prior to adjournment, Superintendent Evers informed the BOE that the Junior High School had been reclassified from a medium sized school to a small school for all competitions in the coming school year.
The BOE voted to adjourn at 6:38 p.m.