RILEY COMMUNITY CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT 18

                                      “Riley School—Honoring the tradition, preparing for the future”

October 2007                                                                                                                                                                   Vol. 2, No. 7

 

                                                                                                                                     Board of Education

Dr. Ronald W. Rood, Superintendent                                        Kurt Schnable, President

9406 Riley Road                                                                                           Jay Behnke, Vice President

Marengo, IL. 60152                                                                                Anita Mitchell, Secretary

Phone: 815-568-8637                                                          Tammy Olsen

FAX: 815-568-3709                                                                            Christopher Peters

www.riley18.org                                                                                            Debora Proberts

                                                                                                                                     Donna Wardzala

                  

 

Message from the superintendent: On behalf of the employees and the Board of Education, we convey that the improvements and new staff hired greatly assisted us in opening for the school year. We had numerous injuries and serious illness among some of our employees, but with a couple new employees and everybody pitching in to help as they could, the opening of school was relatively smooth. The revenues of the new referendum have greatly aided us in moderating class sizes and improving services to our students. On behalf of all of us who serve the children of Riley School, the additional support has made a significant improvement. We think it is a worthy investment and we are proud to be a part of the education of those children.

 

 

Board Briefs, summaries of recent Board Meetings

Sept. 19^th: The Board of Education reviewed the official FY 07 Audit substantiating that, as predicted, Riley Dist. 18 finished the year with $34,000+ surplus. The Board also conducted the Public Hearing of the FY 08 Budget which includes revenue of $2,913,321. Highlights of this budget are that $350,000 of debt reduction will be accomplished and the revenue permitted the employment of two additional teachers to help reduce class size. The largest class is the sixth grade which enrolls 31 students. Also this budget will permit the continuation of the District’s After-School tutoring program and renovation of lighting equipment replacing outmoded fixtures with high-efficiency lighting fixtures. The quality of lighting is being drastically improved and reductions in kilowatt usage are now appearing. During late August, the school’s lower level experienced minor flooding due to the torrential rains. An insurance claim is pending.

 

A very important topic of this Board meeting was for the Riley Board of Education to receive a personal proposal from three representatives of Marengo-Union Elem. Dist. 165 inviting Riley Dist. 18 to participate in a Feasibility Study (reorganization). The most recent feasibility study was released in the spring of 2001. This new, proposed study would evaluate the finances, curriculums, transportation, staffing, and organization of the community’s three school districts. The Riley Board deliberated the proposal at length and concluded that the Riley Dist. is showing marked financial improvement and debt reduction since the successful referendum. The motivation for the referendum was to permit Riley to continue as an independent school district. To divert from that philosophy to study consolidation would be a violation of the trust that taxpayers gave to Dist. 18. The opinion from the Board of Education was unified and politely, but determinedly, that Riley C.C. School Dist. 18 will decline to participate in the Feasibility Study. The Board did commit to continuing to eliminating the debt and slowly adding important programs to the school, as funding allows.

 

 

 

Physical Exams and Immunizations are due by Oct. 15^th for students in Grades K and 5 of the Riley School. New legislation, effective next school year, will require students entering K and 6 to have physicals and immunizations. There has been much discussion about the value of immunizations at the 6^th grade level, hence the legislature will be bringing this change to parents of 6^th graders next summer.

 

School Holiday Breaks:            Winter Break                        Dec. 22-Jan. 6

                                                                            Spring Break:                       March 21-30

                                                                            Last day of school:         June 4, 2008

 

Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held Thurs. Nov. 1^st and Fri. Nov. 2^nd. Detailed information was sent home to each family via the October NewsNotes (school newsletter). Parents are encouraged to attend. The District can provide an Affidavit of Attendance for parents whose employers require that prior to approving leave time from work for the purpose of attending their child’s conference.

 

Veterans’ Day Commemoration is a tradition at the Riley School. There will be an All-School Assembly at 2:15 PM on Fri. Nov. 9^th. The public is invited.

 

Open Gym returns to Riley: Commencing on October 4^th and every Thursday evening until March 27^th, the Riley gymnasium is open from 7-9 PM. The fee is $2 with proof of residency in Riley Dist. 18/ $5 non-resident rate. Participants must be at least 18 years of age and present photo ID. Clean-soled athletic shoes must be worn.