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Residents expecting answers regarding a proposed sports field project for 207-U shouldn’t expect answers anytime soon.
In public comments at the January 22 school board meeting, resident Jim Bowden addressed the board regarding the proposed sports fields for 207-U. He said the district was not being good stewards, that the district had not been forthcoming about the Army Corps of Engineers involvement.
Consequently, a letter to the editor was sent to The Vedette last week stating 207-U had received correspondence from the Army Corps of Engineers and that 207-U had scrapped the project, and again warned of the potential harm should the area be excavated in the floodplain.
There also is some back-and-forth as to who is responsible for what. The Rock Creek drainage ditch has accumulated underbrush that is stopping the flow of water, according to the residents. While it’s district property, Supt. Brandon Owens said the school district granted an easement to the village making them responsible for the clean up of the ditch. It was reported that Village Administrator Nick Palmer would be looking into that easement and the specifications regarding the agreement.
At the end of the meeting, board member Roger Bettenhausen suggested that due to the project being delayed, it will drive the cost of the project up. He also said the district will be blamed every time it rains, and it floods. He suggested the administration look at different options, such as developing property east of the school because it’s flat and not in a flood plain or open up discussion with the park district to develop an IGA. Bettenhausen added he did not want this to escalate to the point of having to withdraw the baseball and softball teams from the conference.
Board member Stoub said he heard similar rumblings from people around town.
Policy for review
Board member Tim Stoub suggested a committee policy be updated to reflect terms and elections rather than affording the board president the authority to appoint committee members for indefinite terms. That policy was adopted in 2022.
The current policy also lists only three standing committees, including Board Policy, Parent Teacher Advisory, and Behavior Improvement Committee.
Stoub drafted an updated policy that includes two additional standing committees: Finance and Building and Grounds. It also adds that committee members be elected along with a chair, vice chair, and secretary, and committee members serve no more than two terms. It also calls for disclosure of committee members.
Stoub’s revision also allows for superintendent-created committees, such as formation and membership, authority and function, and committee operations and compliance. Each of those committees, under the policy, would have members appointed by the superintendent but still have disclosure of members, reports of activities, and a monthly disclosure made public.
Stoub’s presentation of the policy, which was presented after the executive session at the January 22 meeting, had limited discussion. The only comment was from board member Roger Bettenhausen, who said he saw no issue with the policy being sent to legal for review. Bettenhausen also said he saw no reason to modify the committees but thought the committees could do a better job of providing reports to the board and for the public.
School District Counsel was present, though, and replied that committee policy is not governed by Illinois School Board Law but could provide feedback on the pros and cons.
Stoub said, “I would like to see some long term change take place here that will outlast everyone that’s here. I’m looking to put something in print. In my world, policy comes before procedure. I can’t hold any accountable to a procedure without a policy to back it up. Without anything in writing, we can do anything we want, whenever we want.”
He continued that specific questions could be answered in committee settings to ensure board members had the information necessary to make educated decisions for the taxpayers.
Stoub also mentioned that his prompting of an amending policy was a solution to a lack of information from committees regarding projects.
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