Quincy Reporter

Community Consolidated School District 181 Board of Education Finance and Facilities Committee met Jan. 21.

Call of Meeting

The Board of Education Finance and Facilities Committee meeting of Community Consolidated School District 181, DuPage and Cook Counties, Illinois, was called to order by Board Member and Finance Committee Chair Sinead Duffy at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 21, 2025.

Roll Call

Finance and Facilities Committee members present were Dr. Hector Garcia, Asim Aleem, Ellen Dunlap, Mindy Bradford, Meg Cooper, Lois Mejdrich, Adam East, Jerry Mejdrich, Sinead Duffy, Mike Duggan, and Catie Norton. Also present, Jean Duggan, Recording Secretary.

Pledge of Allegiance

Mindy Bradford led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Public Comment

No public comments.

Approval of Minutes

Sinead Duffy made a motion to approve the minutes from the December 10, 2024, Finance Committee meeting. Meg Cooper seconded the motion. The motion carried.

Celebrations

Ms. Bradford noted the following celebrations and reminders:

● All required financial documents and surveys have been completed to support the ESSER funds that the district received.

Reminders:

● Quarterly meetings (2nd quarter) will be held with district department leaders and building principals over the next two weeks to discuss financial results for the year's first half.

● Final CPI-Urban Consumers for 2024 was 2.9% (3.4% prior year). This CPI will be used for the 2025 Tax Levy (December 2025). CPI averages (capped at 5%): 3-year avg=3.7%, 5-year avg=3.5% and 10-year avg=2.7%.

Discussion Topics

Full-Day Kindergarten Construction Update

Mr. Mike Duggan, Director of Facilities, provided a progress report on the Full-Day Kindergarten construction projects.

Updates:

● Covered projects at 6 elementary schools: Oak, Madison, Walker, Monroe, The Lane & Elm.

KR Miller

● Oak:

○ Construction of the four additional classrooms and two office spaces is progressing well. The project is on or slightly ahead of schedule for its projected February 2025 completion date.

○ Over winter break, the following work was completed:

■ Permanent heat completed

■ Installed and taped drywall

■ Permanent glass was installed in the renovated area and in the addition

■ Installation of metal fascia

■ Punchlist for remodeled area was worked on

● Madison

○ Over winter break, the following work was completed:

■ Heat in the classroom portion of the addition was completed

■ Exterior window frames were installed

■ Framing for gypsum board softs in classrooms and hallways was completed

Mr. Duggan noted that the expected completion date for the Madison project is July 25, 2025.

RL Sohol

● Walker:

○ Since the addition is weather-tight, a lot of work was able to be accomplished over winter break:

■ Electrical rough-in within the walls

■ Metal stair pans and railings were installed

■ Concrete in pans was completed, and the stairway is now usable

■ Insulation and drywall work was completed

■ Exterior trim and gutters were installed

■ Rough plumbing was completed

■ Unit ventilators and controls were installed (heat)

Mr. Duggan noted that the expected completion date for the Walker project is mid-July 2025.

● Monroe:

○ Drywall softs were completed at Monroe over winter break.

○ Windows are scheduled to be installed in mid-February.

Mr. Duggan noted that the expected completion date for the Monroe project is July 18, 2025.

Lite Construction

● The Lane:

○ The following work was completed over winter break:

■ Window trim work

■ HVAC rough-in and controls and univent installation was completed

■ MEP rough-in continued

Mr. Duggan noted that the expected completion date for The Lane project is June 30, 2025.

● Elm:

○ The following work was completed over winter break:

■ Final grading and removal of construction fencing

■ HVAC and controls installation completed

■ MEP rough-in continued

Mr. Duggan noted that the expected completion date for the Elm project is June 30, 2025.

Mr. Duggan said he was pleased with the excellent partnership between the district and the three contractors. He noted how happy he was with the Construction Manager, Turner Townsend, and thanked the administration and the principals for their input and cooperation throughout the construction process. He said his main focus will be finishing the projects on time and within budget.

District Office Building Construction Update

Mr. Duggan shared that on October 21, 2024, the Board of Education approved the base contract award for remodeling the new district office building at 133 Ogden, Hinsdale, to Construction, Inc. of Lombard, Illinois, for $3,749,000. The Board of Education awarded the contract for the elevator modernization at 133 Ogden, Hinsdale, IL, for $184,895 to Suburban Elevator, dba Schindler East Dundee, IL, the lowest responsible bidder as recommended by the district architect after they reviewed the bidder responsibility criteria at the December 16, 2024 Board of Education meeting.

Mr. Duggan noted that the District is working with the Village of Hinsdale to get approval for the exterior Site Work so that the last portion of the work can be bid on as soon as possible. He said the exterior work is currently not a roadblock to Construction, Inc., as they continue to make significant progress on all of the required interior work.

Construction Status Update

● All demolition is complete

● Utilities have been contacted for the transition from several different services to one for the entire building

● MEP rough-in is ongoing

● Fire alarm rough-in is ongoing

● Elevator modernization has begun

● Weekly OAC meetings are ongoing and are very productive

● Furniture layouts are very close to complete, and the main furniture order has been placed

Food Service Presentation

Mindy Bradford, Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations, shared that the District contracts with Quest for food service needs. The partnership began in 2008, and the current agreement is from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2026. She said that Quest is responsible for costs associated with the service, including all labor, product, and direct costs. Quest bills the families and collects the revenue directly. Quest charges an administrative fee of 3.5% and a management fee of 2.35% on all program sales (minimum annual fee of $25,000). District 181 receives any net profit that remains after all labor, product & direct service costs, and management fees have been paid.

Ms. Bradford explained that District 181 periodically receives a check from Quest for any excess profits. For the 2023-24 school year, the food service program generated a gross profit of approximately $43,000. The District uses that money to help fund the lunch aides who help supervise the two middle school cafeterias and invest in equipment and supplies to continue to enhance the program for our students.

Ms. Bradford shared the Quest philosophies that help make the program strong:

● Quest’s Mission is to provide fresh, high-quality food, exceptional responsiveness and intensely personal service

● Quest provides high-quality food choices for our students, including full meal choices at the two middle schools and free/reduced meals & milk at the elementary schools

● Many of the food items come from local farms in the Midwest

Quest seeks student stakeholder input through Student Food Committees, impacting their long-term decision-making regarding new product offerings. CHMS held a meeting in the Fall, and both CHMS and HMS plan to hold an additional Student Food Committee meeting during the second semester. Quest has also worked to provide a variety of food choices, including vegetarian options, special promotional food items, and any required specialty meals.

Improved allergen awareness via the addition of enhanced signage throughout both cafeterias, has allowed students to advocate for themselves when making lunch choices. All allergen information is also available to parents on the FD Meal Planner website, which provides recipe cards for all meals served in the cafeterias at least two weeks before the meals are served.

Per a question, Ms. Bradford said she would confirm how many meals each middle school serves.

Quarterly Financial Reports

Ms. Bradford shared the following:

Operating Funds Year to Date:

● $42.6 MM: Trending on track

○ Includes relief to the taxpayers in the spring

● Revenue $40.8 MM: Trending on track

● Expenses $21.2 MM: Trending on track

Items for Recommendation

Monthly Financials

Ms. Bradford shared the following:

Operating Funds Year to Date:

● $42.6 MM: Trending on track

○ Includes relief to the taxpayers in the spring

● Revenue $40.8 MM: Trending on track

● Expenses $22.2 MM: Trending on track

The committee agreed and supported the recommendation to bring this item forward for Board approval.

School Fees

Ms. Bradford shared that the administration recommends school fees to the Board of Education each year for the following school year. District 181 billed $1.28 MM and collected $1.24 MM year-to-date in student registration fees for the 2024-25 school year (approximately 3.6% still outstanding this year vs. 6.3% outstanding last year). Before 2023-24, District 181 had not collected approximately 8-10% of registration fee revenue annually. While we started reducing the % of unpaid fees last year, the Administration has developed additional processes in 2024-25 to continue to dramatically reduce the amount of unpaid fees across all areas. Ms. Bradford shared that the administration is proposing the following:

● Offering a $25 discount to encourage early registration to help the district better plan for a more accurate number of students and related staff for the 2025-26 School Year.

● Increase the Kindergarten Fee to match the Grade 1-2 Fee, now that the district will be providing a full-day kindergarten program in the Fall.

● One small change to optional fees. HR Monitors are provided at cost to students. The cost increased from $17 to $19.

● Continue to apply field trip fees based on the individual cost per field trip (including transportation).

The committee agreed and supported the recommendation to bring this item forward for Board approval.

Resolution to Prepare the Tentative Budget

Ms. Bradford shared that Section 17-1 of the Illinois School Code requires the Board of Education to approve a resolution designating an individual(s) to develop the 2025-26 budget in tentative form each year. The tentative budget includes revenues and expenditures anticipated during the fiscal year. It contains a statement of the estimated cash expected to be on hand at the beginning and end of the fiscal year.

The committee agreed and supported the recommendation to bring this item forward for Board approval.

Future Agenda Items

● Investment Update (with PFM)

● Monthly Financials

● Abatement Amount Decision/Resolution

● Digital Learning Device Refresh

● Summer Project Bid Approval and Award (as available)

Adjournment

Sinead Duffy made a motion to adjourn at 6:04 p.m. Asim Aleem seconded the motion. The motion carried.

https://go.boarddocs.com/il/hccsdil/Board.nsf/files/DDUST3742A4C/$file/2025_01_21_Fin.%20and%20Fac.%20Com.%20Mtg.%20Min..pdf