Brookwood School District 167 Board of Education met April 29.
Here is the minutes provided by the board:
NO CLOSED SESSION
I. CALL TO ORDER/PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/ROLL CALL
The Business Meeting of the Brookwood School District 167 Board of Education was called to order by President Toleda Hart at 7:00 p.m.
Roll call was answered by: Vice President Doreen Davis, Secretary Mary Taylor, Member John Dixon, Member Roslon Seals, Member Sandra Washington, via phone, and President Toleda Hart. Absent: Member Mark Myers
5-Present 1-Absent 1-Via-conf.
President Hart announced just for the public, Member Washington is on the phone via conference call.
II. CITIZEN’S COMMENTS NONE
III. SUPERINTENDENT’S REPORT Superintendent Bethany Lindsay:
Good Evening Board of Education and community members. Tonight on behalf of Brookwood School District 167 we would like to formally show our greatest appreciation to our current School Board President Mrs. Toleda Hart. Mrs. Toleda Hart has served on the board for the past 4 years, and one year as Board President. She has been providing us with unwavering support, unrelenting guidance, service and leadership. She is being honored tonight with much appreciation and gratitude! Thank you Toleda Hart for your service and dedication to our school district. We know that you are still here to help us, just a phone call away with helping hands. I know that you really care about our school district and our students. I personally thank you for helping me this past year, as my first year as superintendent.
Here is your plaque of appreciation and service from our school district. Board members and community members we do have cupcakes for everyone to partake in to celebrate this special occasion as a token of appreciation for Mrs. Toleda Hart.
President Hart, says “I am so humbled and honored, thank you so very much! I appreciate it!”
Superintendent Lindsay says, I also want to congratulate Tiffany Graham, John Dixon and Doreen Davis for your election win. I look forward to us governing together and the service that you will provide our school district.
IV. FOIA INQUIRY: Logan Blaire (second request)
Logan Blaire requested the district to provide the Superintendents new base salary, for the 2019- 2020 school year. What is the new base salary? The response is the Board of Education approved a 2.5% raise to the superintendent. The last salary was $165,000, with the raise it will be $169,125 and that completes the FOIA request. The information has been sent in accordance with the state of Illinois. That salary starts in July.
V. BOARD REPORTS
President Hart stated, “I have severed as the policy chair since July of 2015 and have attempted to host annual reviews and meetings related to board policies in need of review or actions to be taken by the BOE.” I remain available as needed and/or required to assist with ensuring that all of the press-policies are current and up to date.
If I have omitted anything please accept my apologies in advance. Special thanks is extended to Ms. Robin Powell for her commitment and dedication in the undertaking of this new role that ensures that all of the district policies are tracked, updated and copied to the BOE policy manual going forward. Do not hesitate to inform me, if you would like for me to ensure or assist with full compliance of the BOE policy manual or renewal; if I can ever be of any assistance. It has been my pleasure. Thank you!
VI. BOARD COMMENTS
Member Dixon stated, I would like to thank Toleda Hart for your service as President of the school board. It’s a challenging position and takes a lot of time. I know her heart is with the children in the district to make sure the children are educated. I appreciate her services and the giving of her time. I wish her all well in her up and coming endeavors which she decides to move forward on. I really appreciate you for taking on the presidency, I appreciate the advice. I really appreciate you.
President Hart reads a letter, Dear Board Members,
Thank you so much for your support and your time working with me this past year as the Board President of BSD 167 in order to achieve the many favorable action items that promoted and fostered excellence for our school community, student, staff and the superintendent.
I know that for each of you, it was an ‘add on’ to the many other things that you do including your careers, your family, other volunteer opportunities, etc., I appreciate that you were willing to serve, be flexible, have an open mind- put personalities & hidden agendas aside for our shared-vision to do what’s best for the students, staff and the school community at large. I may not have gotten it right all of the time, but I hope you know that I always tried to value your time and your input. Some days you may have felt it more than others. Thank you for knowing it even on the days where I may have failed to express it.
Serving with you guys has been both humbling and a privilege. I have grown personally and am honored to have served with such a diverse group of caring individuals.
Thank you for knowing that on any given day that I was juggling a multitude of things to include whatever was going on in my personal life, you were thoughtful about the ideas and recommendations suggested for the overall good of the District.
Thank you for taking my calls, reading my emails, and helping me to brain storm solutions. Thank you for taking the time to govern our school district, while respecting the chain of command, removing yourselves from the day to day operations, and for permitting the school principals to manage their buildings and the superintendent the room needed/required for her to grow both personally and professionally within the past year.
Thank you for no longer directly assigning task to the staff, but instead working through both myself and the superintendent. I know it wasn’t always easy or convenient for you to do that, but I truly appreciate the respect you have shown and grown to have for the superintendent, my leadership and the lines of authority on our Board. I especially appreciate that when staff came to you when they did not agree with the superintendent’s decision that you referred them back to the superintendent instead of trying to manage the situation.
Thank you for bringing your passion, intellect, insight, experience and resources to the table. Thank you for challenging me (especially Member Seals). I needed you, and I appreciate that you used all of your experience, skills, knowledge and education to move our district forward.
A special thank you to the School Community, Students/Parents, Staff, Superintendent Lindsay, the BOE Attorney Hauser, Board Members; Davis, Dixon, Meyers, Seals, Washington and Taylor and more importantly the naysayers-you know who you are-for the opportunity to serve. You have collectively made my time serving on the BOE team go by fast and have forever impacted my life in many ways I cannot express. I will always be grateful and I am a better leader because of the tools you gave me!
I promise to pay it forward! I’m not saying goodbye, as I will always be here to serve and assist in any capacity that I’m asked and/or able.
In closing-Thank you for your leadership, loyalty and your guidance. May we continue to build on our strengths and find creative ways to collectively stay the course to work with the district superintendent to lead the district forward.
May we continue to focus on the BOE policies, as well as fostering excellence for every student through continuous assessments of student’s achievement and promoting participation of the community without disregard for your one and only employee. the Superintendent.
Please remember that a board member has no legal authority as an individual and that decisions can only be made by the majority vote at a public board meeting, but collectively with the faith and trust in your superintendent you can and will soar to even greater heights..
May God continue to bless you and the work that you do on behalf of Brookwood School District 167.
Best Regards
Toleda Hart
Board President
Member Seals responds, President Hart you and I have agreed to disagree; one thing I’d like to say about you is not only have you given of yourself, your time and your possessions. We have one thing in common, we love our students. We put our students first and we just go about it in a different way. God didn’t make us alike; we have different brains. I have mine and you have yours and we think differently. But we love our students and we put them first. I appreciate that President Hart. I have learned a lot from you. Thank you President Hart. Would you come back and be Policy Chair?
President Hart responds, “I will do anything I can to assist.” VII. RECOMMENDED ACTIONS:
A. Announcement of Board of Education Elected Members by President Toleda Hart
B. Oath of Office for Board of Education Elected members by Ray Hauser, Brookwood School District 167 Board Attorney
C. Reorganization of the Board of Education
a. Election of President Pro-tem Approved: 5-0
b. Election of Vice President Pro-tem Approved: 5-0
c. Election of Secretary Pro-tem Approved: 5-0
D. Roll Call by Secretary Pro-tem
a. Election of Board President Approved: 4-1
b. Election of Vice President Approved: 4-1
c. Election of Secretary Approved: 4-1
E. Approval of Proposed New Board Meeting Dates for 2019-2020
Approved: 5-0
Dixon/Taylor
F. Approval to Change the May 2019 Board Meeting Date to Board Recommended Date
Approved: 5-0
Dixon/Taylor
G. Approval of the April 8, 2019 board Committee Meeting Minutes
Approved: 4-1, AB
Taylor/Graham
H. Approval of the April 15, 2019 Business Meeting Minutes
Approved: 5-0
Taylor/Graham
VIII. CITIZEN’S COMMENTS:
Good Evening everyone, Deborah Birmingham, I served as a board member for 10 years and this district has always been close to my heart. Everything I do I try to incorporate the students in our district and community. As you look at your schedule for next year, I ask that you collaborate and partner with me in my profession, STEM Education. As a board member I worked hard to try and bring the STEM program here. Last month I was dealing with energy and I had Mayor Gardiner come out and give a presentation on energy. He came out and talked to my students and was blown away at what my 4th graders knew regarding STEM. This is the fourth year I have received the grant from Chicago Arts Partnership Education. Board members, if you would visit the website you will see what my partnership did with Chicago Arts Partnership with STEM. Math with Ease is my company, to work with STEM and get into the Energy field in particular. I have worked with people at Purdue University. I was at Purdue just this weekend. They are continually expressing the need for young people to get into STEM. The Board of Education has already shown the need for more African American exposure to STEM. What I would like to do is work with companies like Boeing and Ford Motor Company. Anything we can do to show young people that this is where the jobs are, at STEM. The more we get our children exposed to it, the more we can administer to our community. Please take a look at it and as the school year rolls around in September, give me a call or I will contact you and see what we can do. What I am hoping to do with the companies is use District 167 and Southland to be an active part in grooming our children and make them an active plan for the STEM program. We have given out scholarships in this school district. We have a student that is a distinguished alumni and he started off in Engineering. He has now started a STEM high school. And now we are moving to the middle school. What I do in my profession is try to get our young people prepared.
Alan Wilson, first of all I’d like to congratulate the new members and those that were re-elected. I’d also like to give a big shout out to Mrs. Hart for a job well done. Thank you for your services.
Motion to adjourn the meeting. Adjournment at 7:37 p.m.
https://v3.boardbook.org/Public/PublicItemDownload.aspx?mk=50329818&fn=minutes.pdf
Alerts Sign-up