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the Mokena Messenger | September 27, 2018 | 9
Mokena D159 Board of Education
Budget adds $1M toward capital projects
“the MOKENA MESSENGER’S”
Standout Student
Sponsored by Marquette Bank
Amanda Stoll, Assistant Editor
Round it up
A brief recap of other items discussed at the D159
Sept. 19 meeting
•The board voted to reschedule its November meeting
to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14, because of its proximity
to Thanksgiving.
•The board is in the process of looking for a new
architectural firm for the district. A Request for
Qualifications is available on the district website at
mokena159.org and is due by 10 a.m. Oct. 24.
•The recently replaced van and truck previously used
by district employees will be donated to the Mokena
Fire Department to be used to training purposes.
With more than $1 million
set aside for capital
projects in both the education
and operations and
maintenance fund, the Mokena
School District 159
Board of Education approved
at its Sept. 19 meeting
the budget for fiscal
year 2019, which covers
expenditures and revenues
from July 1, 2018 through
June 30, 2019.
The nearly $22.1 million
in expenses for the year includes
more than $10 million
in salaries for teachers,
staff and administrators;
$77,010 in salaries for operations
and maintenance
employees; and $326,240
for transportation employees.
The cost for supplies and
materials is budgeted for
$849,140 in the education
fund; $633,850 in operations
and maintenance; and
$53,000 in transportation.
While expenses outweigh
the nearly $20.6 million in
revenue on the overall budget,
Chief School Businesses
Official Teri Shaw explained
that the deficit is a planned
measure to spend down
some of the district’s fund
balances.
“According to board
policy, the goal is to have
between 35 and 65 percent
of annual expenditures in
fund balance at the end of
the year,” Shaw wrote in
an email to The Messenger.
“The capital plan spending
will bring the total fund
balance down to 64 percent,
which falls in the fund balance
policy.”
There was no public comment
at the meeting, and
all board members present
voted to approve the budget.
Board member Jim Andresen
was absent from the
meeting.
“There are capital projects
that are listed in there...
but it doesn’t meet all of the
needs of the district, and I
know the board’s aware of
that,” said Superintendent
Don White about the FY19
budget. “There are still outstanding
projects that we’re
going to have to plan for
long-term.”
Personnel recommendations
The board voted in favor
of personnel recommendations
including the hiring
of Paraprofessionals Megan
Pomeroy, Nicole Miller,
Dora Ruiz and Ramona Fagan
as well as MES Building
Aide Amanda McManus and
MIS Building Aide Kathy
Stewart.
Keith Decker was also
approved as a new Specialized
Instruction teacher at
MES.
New hires in food services
at the schools included
Vickie Larsen and Katie Rodriquez
as servers at MES,
Jane Grant as assistant cook
at MJH, and Violeta Spasojevic
as a lunch supervisor at
MIS.
The board also approved
the resignation of MIS building
aide Eman Hassan and
MJH paraprofessional Jean
Miller.
Tech talk
Director of Technology
Jake Smith reported to the
board that he and his team
are working through some
small troubleshooting issues
with the new intercom
systems in the schools, and
that the installation of their
new phone systems are
complete. Additionally, he
reported that work is continuing
on security updates
at the schools and expected
to be complete by the end of
September or beginning of
October.
Chomebooks for students
in sixth grade, which were
previously backordered,
were received on the first
day of school. Cases for the
seventh and eighth grade devices
were received the following
day.
Smith said he and his staff,
along with Board of Education
Member Mike Everett,
were able to unpack, inventory,
sort and tag more than
500 Chromebooks and have
them in the hands of students
at the beginning of the following
week.
The delay in delivery
was discussed at the August
board meeting, when the
board heard input from principals
and teachers regarding
the importance of the
devices to their classrooms
as much of their curriculum
and lessons are based on using
the Chromebooks.
Mokena Junior High
Principal Dr. Mike Rolinitis
commended his staff for
adjusting lessons during the
first few days without having
use of the Chromebooks, but
he also reiterated how important
the use of the devices
has become for teachers and
students as a tool used to enhance
learning in the classroom.
Students use the Chromebooks
for in-class work and
assessments as well as for
standardized testing. This
year, the devices have been
equipped with rugged cases,
and students are being allowed
to take them home to
use for homework and studying
outside of the classroom.
“We still use paper and
pencil. We still use books.
We’re not going to get away
from that,” Rolinitis said. “I
like the fact that teachers use
it when it’s the appropriate
tool to use.”
At the meeting, board
members discussed the
merits of purchasing a new
computer program, called
Forecast5 5Lab, which
would allow administrators
and staff to more easily track
student achievement across
multiple testing platforms
and curriculum standards.
The cost to implement the
program was budgeted at
$9,638 for the first year,
while in consecutive years
it would cost an estimated
$7,710 annually.
During the Nov. 14 meeting,
the board is expected
to review the School Report
Card, consider action
on approving the Forecast5
5Lab software for use in the
district, approve the annual
audit and appoint a delegate
for the Illinois Association
of School Boards.
Danielle “Ellie”
Hartwell-McQuillan
Danielle “Ellie” Hartwell-
McQuillan is a kindergartner
at Noonan Elementary
Academy
What do you like to do when
not in school or studying?
I like to play on my kindle,
play Barbie’s, and play
American Girl Dolls.
When is your dream job?
I would like to be a principal
of a school.
What are some of your most
played songs on your iPod?
My favorite songs are “I
got this feeling,” “Piano,”
and ballet music (classical
music by Tchaikovsky).
What’s one thing people
don’t know about you?
Some people don’t know
about my hearing aid.
Whom do you look up to and
why?
I look up to my old Pre-
K teacher, Miss Nicole, because
she is nice and taught
me so much.
What’s your favorite class
and why?
I like science class the
most because it is short.
We are learning about our
five senses. I also like lunch
when I am hungry.
What extracurricular(s) do
you wish your school had?
I wish my school had a
pool so we can swim.
What you could change
about school?
I wish my dogs would
come to my school with
me.
Standout Student is a weekly
feature for The Mokena Messenger.
Nominations come from
Mokena area schools.
Bob Spychalski
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