Board of Education

The Board of Education meets regularly on the third Wednesdays of each month. The meetings begin at 7:00 pm with Committee of the Whole meetings beginning at 6:00 pm. A schedule of meetings is adopted yearly and may be changed with due public notice. The Board encourages citizens to attend its sessions to become better acquainted with the operation and programs of the schools. All official meetings are open to the press and public.


REGULAR MEETING DATES / LOCATION

The regular meeting dates for the District #117 Board of Education are shown below.  All regular meetings are held in the Board Room at 211 West State Street unless otherwise noted, and begin at 7:00 p.m. 


2024                              DATE        

Wednesday                  January 17
Wednesday                  February 21
Wednesday                  March 20
Wednesday**               April 24
Wednesday                  May 15
Wednesday                  June 26

*   4th Wednesday to Accommodate H.R. New Hires
**To Accommodate Election Results



 

Communications To and From the Board

Staff members, parents, and community members should submit questions or communications for the School Board's consideration to the Superintendent at:

Jacksonville School District #117
Attn: Superintendent
211 West State Street
Jacksonville, IL 62650

The Superintendent shall provide the Board with a summary of these questions or communications and provide, as appropriate, his or her feedback regarding the matter. If contacted individually, Board members will refer the person to the appropriate level of authority, except in unusual situations. Board members' questions or communications to staff or about programs will be channeled through the Superintendent's office.

Board members will not take private action that might compromise the Board or District. There is no expectation of privacy for any communication sent to the Board or its members individually, whether sent by letter, email, or other means.


Powers and Duties of the School Board

The powers and duties of the School Board generally include:

  1. Formulating, adopting, and modifying Board policies, at its sole discretion, subject only to mandatory collective bargaining agreements and State and federal law.

  2. Employing a Superintendent and other personnel, making employment decisions, and dismissing personnel.

  3. Directing, through policy, the Superintendent, in his or her charge of the District's administration.

  4. Approving the annual budget, tax levies, major expenditures, payment of obligations, annual audit, and other aspects of the District's financial operation.

  5. Entering contracts using the public bidding procedure when required.

  6. Providing, constructing, controlling, supervising, and maintaining adequate physical facilities.

  7. Approving the curriculum, textbooks, and educational services.

  8. Evaluating the educational program and approving School Improvement and District Improvement Plans when they are required to be developed or revised.

  9. Establishing and supporting student discipline policies designed to maintain an environment conducive to learning, including hearing individual student suspension or expulsion cases brought before it.

  10. Establishing attendance units within the District and assigning students to the schools.

  11. Establishing the school year.

  12. Visiting District facilities.

  13. Providing student transportation services.

  14. Entering into joint agreements with other boards to establish cooperative educational programs or provide educational facilities.

  15. Complying with requirements in the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act. Specifically, each individual Board member must, if an allegation is raised to the member during an open or closed Board meeting that a student is an abused child as defined in the Act, direct or cause the Board to direct the superintendent or other equivalent school administrator to comply with the Act's requirements concerning the reporting of child abuse.

  16. Communicating the schools' activities and operations to the community and representing the needs and desires of the community in educational matters.

LEGAL REF.: 105 ILCS 5/2-3.25d, 5/10-1 et seq., 5/17-1, and 5/27-1.

115 ILCS 5/1 et seq.

325 ILCS 5/4.

CROSS REF.: 1:10 (School District Legal Status), 2:10 (School District Governance), 2:80

(Board Member Oath and Conduct), 2:240 (Board Policy Development), 5:90

(Abused and Neglected Child Reporting)


Public Participation at School Board Meetings And Petitions to the Board

At each regular and special open meeting, the members of the public and District employees may comment to or ask questions of the School Board, subject to reasonable constraints.

The individuals appearing before the Board are expected to follow these guidelines:

  1. Address the Board only at the appropriate time as indicated on the agenda and when recognized by the Board President.

  2. Identify oneself and be brief. Ordinarily, comments shall be limited to 5 minutes. In unusual circumstances, and when an individual has made a request in advance to speak for a longer period of time, the individual may be allowed to speak for more than 5 minutes.

  3. The Board President may shorten or lengthen an individual's opportunity to speak. The President may also deny an individual the opportunity if the individual has previously addressed the Board on the same subject within the past 2 months.

  4. The Board President shall have the authority to determine procedural matters regarding public participation not otherwise defined in Board policy.

  5. Conduct oneself with respect and civility toward others and otherwise abide by Board policy, 8:30, Visitors to and Conduct on School Property.

Petitions or written correspondence to the Board shall be presented to the Board at the next regularly scheduled Board meeting.

LEGAL REF.: 105 ILCS 5/10-6 and 5/10-16.

CROSS REF.: 2:220 (School Board Meeting Procedure), 8:10 (Connection with the

Community), 8:30 (Visitors to and Conduct on School Property)


Links

Illinois Association of School Boards

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