BOE Monthly Meeting Summary
Litchfield CUSD12: February 18, 2025
The Litchfield Community Unit School District #12 Board of Education met on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, in the Kilton Fine Arts Center at the Unit Office for its monthly board meeting.
These are not the official meeting minutes and do not include every detail from the meeting; instead, they are a summary to assist the Purple Panther community. Once the board approves them, the official minutes can be found on the LCUSD #12 Board of Education Minutes page on the website.
RECOGNITION OF STUDENTS
Litchfield Elementary School Spelling Bee Finalists
The Board recognized the following students from LES! Congratulations to each of them for an outstanding job in the Spelling Bee.
3rd Place - Kole Morgan - 4th grade - Stewart
2nd Place - Grayson Short - 5th grade - Richter
1st Place - Allison Barwick - 4th grade - Short
SPORTS & ACTIVITIES UPDATE
The MS Volleyball team is close to the end of their season. They will conclude their regular season on February 27th with 8th grade night vs Greenville. The 7th grade will begin Regional play on March 1st and the 8th grade is the following week on March 8th.
The MS Wrestling team concludes their regular season tonight (2/18) vs Glenwood and Taylorville. They will compete in regionals on Saturday, February 22nd. The Panthers will be hosting regionals which will be held in Simmons gym beginning at 9:00 am on Saturday, February 22nd.
Scholastic Bowl began its regular season on February 4th and will compete through the end of April.
At the High School level, the following Wrestlers qualified for state with sectional results:
Rilynn Younker - 1st in sectional @ 110 lb
Vinny More - 3rd place 120 lb
Braxton Kieffer - 3rd place 157 lb
Tristan Staggs - 4th place 215 lb
Girls basketball concluded their season on Saturday with a loss @ Roxana. Boys basketball will conclude their regular season on Thursday, 2/20 with senior night. They will host Gillespie in the 2A regional quarterfinals @ Simmons Gym on 2/24 @ 6 PM. Spring sports are gearing up…despite the weather!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank You to the Staff
Dr. McClain extended a thank you to Scott Merano. After the resignation of our activities custodian last month, Scott stepped up to fill this crucial role. His efforts have not gone unnoticed. The smooth continuation of our activities is a testament to his hard work and dedication. His ability to manage responsibilities and maintain our facilities in top condition has earned him the respect and gratitude of our entire community. Thank you, Scott, for your outstanding contribution and for ensuring that our school activities proceed without a hitch.
Moreover, as many know, this flu season has been particularly severe, impacting nearly every school district, including ours. Dr. McClain thanked all our staff and administrators who have diligently worked to cover vacant classes and support their colleagues. This teamwork and solidarity make our district stand out during such hard and trying times. Your commitment ensures our standards remain high, even when facing staff shortages and high student absenteeism due to illness. Your efforts to keep up with the academic needs of our students, ensuring they stay caught up despite the setbacks, are recognized and appreciated.
Heart Health Awareness Month
February also marks Heart Health Awareness Month, a vital opportunity to focus on our overall wellness. Heart disease remains one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and education on heart health is crucial. Dr. McClain encouraged our staff and students to engage in activities that foster cardiovascular health, such as exercising, eating heart-healthy foods, and managing stress. Let’s use this month to spread awareness and take actionable steps toward a healthier future for everyone in our district.
APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
Approve bills and Treasurer’s Report
Bills payable for February 2025 total $693,735.91
From the Education fund: $137,653.31; of this total $10,693.43 is payable for SCI.
From Operations & Maintenance: $56,169.81.
From Debt Service: $421,865.72.
From Transportation: $26,867.86.
From Capital Projects: $48,571.21.
From Tort: $2,788.00.
Treasurer’s Report –
Ending balance in all funds at January 31, 2025 is $17,347,721.
Balance in operating funds is $14,130,365.
Balance in Capital Projects is $1,153,595.
SCI 2025-2026 Calendar and the SCI Student Handbook
As the SCI Center's administrative agent, the BOE approved the calendar for the SCI Center as well as the SCI Center Student Handbook, both for the 2025-2026 school year. Next year, the major change to the calendar is that the center will be open on early release days, ensuring students receive enough hours of instruction for some of their certifications. Thank you to Mrs. Ellis and Mrs. Wagenblast for also working through this with the shared staff. Mrs. Ellis also created a student handbook to communicate the expectations at SCI with our students and families. There are similarities and differences between the school handbooks and this handbook. The Governing Board has approved both the handbook and the calendar at previous meetings.
Intergovernmental agreements with the Regional Office of Education #3 for the Safe Schools Programs and the Alternative High School
These are annual agreements we enter into with the ROE to use their Safe Schools Programs and the Alternative High School.
Cardiac Emergency Response Plan
The State of Illinois added legislation that mandates that school districts have a Cardiac Emergency Response Plan on file. Dr. McClain thanked the nurses, Mrs. Thompson, and our Athletic Directors for the collaboration. The nurses put the most work into this plan but will continue to work closely with their teams and our ADs as we roll this out to our schools. Team member and AED location information will be updated annually and we will keep all school information on one document. We also plan on reviewing this as part of both our Crisis Meetings with the local police and fire department as well as in our Safety Committee Meeting.
PERSONNEL
Hires:
- Gary Loskot as fulltime custodian at the Early Childhood Center beginning March 10, 2025.
Volunteers:
- Larry Rayburn as a Volunteer Coach for the Baseball program beginning the 2024-2025 school year.
- Kevin Young as a Volunteer Coach for the Baseball program beginning the 2024-2025 school year.
Resignations:
- Payton Krager, High School Physical Education teacher, at the end of the 2024-2025 school year.
FMLA:
1 FMLA requests were approved by the Board.
Next month’s Board of Education meeting will be held on March 18th at
the Unit Office beginning at 6:00 pm.