Five members of the Board of Education were present for the Aug. 12, 2024, board meeting.. The meeting was held in Harter Middle School inside one of the sixth grade team rooms. The agenda was approved by all five board members, and there were no public comments.
To start the meeting, Chief Kevin Tindall from Kaneville’s Police Department presented possible safety implementations that could reduce risks at Kaneland High School.
“What we all value Kaneland High School to be is a very high value target area,” Tindall said. “The students are very important to us, and we want them to remain safe throughout the whole school day.”
Tindall explained the department’s current risk reduction resources, which include a fire department that is fully staffed and an ambulance that is equipped with Basic Life Support (BLS) in case of an emergency. However, he wishes to have more advanced tools so that there is less risk. His goals for these advancements include an increase in staffing to decrease response times, a severe weather staffing increase at station, special event staffing on site and upgraded response plans for a quicker auto aid dispatch. He also wishes for an additional ambulance that would be upgraded with Advanced Life Support (ALS), with the timeline for these additions being a year or less.
After many questions, the board decided that there will be no action taken regarding Tindall’s request.
Next on the agenda included the approval of change orders for Kaneland High School’s track improvements.
There are three change orders needed, but there was only the need for Board approval of two out of the three change orders. One of the change orders was due to soil at the track that was preventing the work from being done in the best possible way.
“We’re asking for up to $51,500 for some more undercuts and additional stone to try and shorten what’s going to be underneath the finished track surface,” Director of Buildings and Grounds Mark Payton said.
The second change order that needed approval was asking for $74,692.27 for finishing the project. After extensive discussion, the board approved two change orders with a vote of 5-0.
Next, there was the need for Board approval of one full time employee (FTE) at Blackberry Creek Elementary School.
“I am 100% for this,” board member Aaron McCauley said. “I’m just worried about the budget.”
After talking about the possibility of exceeding the budget with the addition of another teacher, Board members approved the addition of one FTE with a vote of 5-0. They came to this conclusion by realizing the need to do it for the students and teachers. It ultimately came down to prioritizing students and their needs.
The next board meeting will be held on Monday, Aug. 26, 2024.
