At Monday's monthly meeting of the Macomb Community Unit School District (MCUSD) No. 185, the Board of Education unanimously approved a recommendation of a 4.99 percent tax levy to be put forward to the McDonough County Clerk.
Superintendent Mark Twomey explained that the levy request must be submitted to the county this month, and the 4.99 percent request is the most the district can ask for without a Truth in Taxation hearing. The ultimate decision on the amount the district will receive is made by the clerk's office, he added, but to ensure the district gets its share of new construction assessed property taxes, it's imperative to get their request in by the deadline.
In other business, the Board approved the application for a $50,000 School Maintenance Project Grant, which the district must agree to match, for playground fencing at Edison School; replacement of a control board for the ventilation system at Macomb High School and the replacement of a cracked second story window at Edison.
Discussion Items:
Behavior & Discipline
To address behavioral issues, beginning at the Edison Elementary level, in-house after school suspensions will return in the near future, Twomey told the Board. The hour-long programs will include students completing a lesson rooted in social-emotional learning (SEL) to better learn behavioral expectations and how their decisions impact their education.
'It's not just about punishment and staying after school,' he stressed. 'We will be using a curriculum for those students that focus on changing behaviors.'
For those students who do not have reliable transportation after school or who rely on bus services to get to and from school, a bus will be dedicated to transporting those in the after-school program home. The after-school detentions were effective in the past, he noted; however, transportation and other factors led to the cessation of the disciplinary program.
Twomey also told the Board he's looking forward to getting more ideas from kindergarten through fifth grade teachers following their recent in-service.
Career Technical Education (CTE) Center Update The superintendent told the Board that the CTE Committee met Monday morning, resulting in a 'good conversation,' though the location for the proposed center is still yet to be determined. The discussion currently underway among the planning group is the location of the proposed center: on Macomb district property or at Spoon River's Macomb campus.
'I'm really excited about this. We had a lot of dialogue this morning,' Twomey shared. 'The other districts (BPC and West Prairie) are very loud about not having the center on our campus, but we have to set a location before we apply to have a CTE.
I am more open to other locations after our meeting today but I really want to explore all possibilities more. And if we do not have a CTE at all, we still have to consider more flexible paths to graduation for our students. Regardless, we're going to move in a forward direction one way or the other. But I think we really made progress today what a Career Technical Education Center would look like.'
A special Board meeting will be set in the near future to specifically discuss the CTE, including the pros and cons of the center being offered at MHS or Spoon River, costs if on district property, leadership and oversight and more.
Twomey added that another program the district is going to explore with Spoon River College is 'Running Start,' which allows high school students to earn their high school diploma and associate degree from the SRC Canton campus simultaneously. This spring, 23 Canton-area seniors will graduate with both their high school diploma and associate degree.
Macomb Middle School (MMS) Soar Program MMS Principal Kibbee Lewis presented to the Board information about her school's Macomb SOAR Program, which allows more student choice and voice in their learning, as well as provides more 'check-in's' between teachers and students at the middle school. The 25-minute class, which occurs before lunch periods, is selected by students each Friday, and can range from a drama, art, learning how to play the guitar or German class to a study hall for those with multiple activities to math and English assistance. Using the 'Smart Pass' electronic pass system at MMS, which tracks students' schedules, students can sign up for the special choice classes every Friday after the teachers put in their choices for the next week, Lewis explained.
'Teachers wanted more time to check in with students, and this is the perfect way for them to have that extra time with students in a different way,' she noted.
'We pair social-emotional learning with other classes that aren't necessarily part of our regular curriculum, along with class time that provides some extra math and English support for those who need it as well as additional assistance for students who have an IEP.
The SOAR classes vary each week based on the needs of our students. It really allows our teachers to lead a novelty class, while giving our students choices in their learning so they are prepared for the choices they'll be making when they reach high school.'
Transportation
Twomey told the Board that the in-house transportation services are going well, with the right number of drivers now in place. He also noted following the meeting that performance is much better in regard to getting students to school and home on time, and that communication between drivers and the district has improved since moving the system in-house.
Weather
Twomey told the Board that a few parents have brought forward the idea of him streaming live to 'prove' that he gets up at 4:30 a.m. to check weather and road conditions before making a decision on whether to close school.
'I actually do get up and check at 4:30 a.m. to check the condition. It's true, in fact I did it this morning,' he explained. 'I check roads such as airport road, for example, which is a 'round blacktop,' which is hard to drive when it's snowpacked. And I do walk with a lightweight coat and no hat and gloves.'
Board Member Kristin Terry asked the superintendent if he would consider consulting with the sheriff 's office or the transportation director, for example, in regards to road and weather conditions.
'No, I don't. What most people don't know is that I drove a school bus for many years, so I'm more than familiar with what the buses can and can't do in winter weather, and I trust my judgment,' Twomey explained. 'I go to all four quadrants, including some of our more problematic roads like Flint and China, to check the conditions.
Someone has to make the decision, and I feel it's my responsibility. It falls on my shoulders.'
