CHANNAHON – The Channahon School District 17 board learned Monday the district has “healthy fund balances” when accountant Scott Duenser, of Klein Hall CPAs, gave the board its 2014-15 audit report.
The district is on target to pay off the remainder of its bond debt in the near future. The bonds were used to finance Channahon Junior High School.
Becoming debt free, Duenser said, “is great for you and uncommon for a district. ... It’s great for all involved.”
The board also approved adding a project to the construction of the new lunch room at N.B. Galloway Elementary School planned for next year.
According to Superintendent Nick Henkle, the lunch room will take up more than 50 percent of the asphalt play area at the south side of the school. The site is heavily used by students at recess, according to Galloway Principal Mary Kelly, who said 115 to 120 children are out on the area at any given time.
Architectural renderings for the site proposed an extension of additional asphalt along the grassy area about 10 feet from the wall of the school, but some board members felt the grass should remain.
The board suggested new renderings of added asphalt a little to the south of what was proposed, with a pathway to the playground. Currently, that pathway is crushed limestone, which board member Dee Foreman said is difficult to traverse with a wheelchair.
With the remaining playground asphalt in poor shape, the board approved adding the project of repairing the existing surface drive and expanding the play area to the bids it will seek for the lunch room addition in mid-October. The extra costs are estimated at $100,000.
The board also approved hiring Dawn McMillin as a homebound tutor at $31.02 an hour; Kelly Davis as cafeteria server at $9 an hour; and Demitra Gobert as substitute cafeteria worker at $8.50 an hour. Extra duty was approved for Kiley Sommers as assistant sponsor for Beta Club at a stipend of $1,026, and for Dan Nyalka as sixth-grade girls assistant basketball coach at a stipend of $2,765.
Retirement was approved for Three Rivers School secretary Kay Thompson beginning Jan. 3. The board also approved a request by the superintendent to let Thompson’s replacement begin before Thompson leaves to allow the replacement to learn the position. The board approved allowing the two secretaries to overlap by a week or two.
Board member Joan Ferguson was absent Monday.
There will be a 5 p.m. work-study session before the board’s next regular meeting at 7 p.m. Oct. 26. The subject of the session will be school consolidation. The district has been considering consolidating its four schools into three.