Mahomet-Seymour Superintendent Rick Johnston revisited the five-year master plan, which was implemented January 2013 with the school board and administration during a board retreat at the beginning of December.
When the plan was adopted, former board member Valerie Woodruff suggested that the board review the progress of the plan annually to ensure the completion of several projects.
Johnston was able to report that each component of the plan has seen action over the year, and some parts of the plan were implemented ahead of schedule.
While full-day kindergarten was in sight for the Mahomet-Seymour School District as the board approved the acquisition of Middletown Prairie Elementary, the district was able to install full-day kindergarten while students were still in the Middletown Elementary facility along Division Street.
Outside of the five-year plan, the district also finalized the construction of the Middletown Prairie building, and moved into the space at the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year. The former Middletown Elementary building is currently undergoing asbestos removal, and will be demolished before the district moves forward with the Middletown Park Project.
The district also reviewed their safety and security plans. The staff now has key fob access to the buildings, and entry points have appropriate monitoring systems. Johnston said the district will continue to analyze the current security systems, and look for ways to improve staff training.
In order to plan for future projects, the district has also developed a facilities committee, which will be responsible for compiling a prioritized list of capital improvement projects throughout the buildings. The plan will be reviewed annually to tackle the needs of each space.
Cutting back costs, the district discontinued the use of the Copy Shop where teachers sent their paper projects throughout the year. In the spring of 2013, the district replaced the copier fleet with thirteen new machines, and now teachers can send print jobs directly to a machine located within their school. Not only do the printers safe the district money, but keeping track of copies made and regulating in classroom printer cartridges also maximizes cost savings.
The technology backbone installed within the district also saves the district money, and helps fulfill the district’s technology implementation goals. The district connected to the ICN network of dark fiber along I-74, increasing the bandwidth district-wide from 20-megs to 250-megs.
This bandwidth upgrade has helped staff implement the use of additional technologies within the classroom, and it has been effective in professional development district-wide. Johnston said this upgrade will help support PARCC testing, which will begin in the spring. The district hopes to acquire and replace an additional 150 workstations with Chromebooks for the testing.
Classrooms throughout the district have now fully implemented Common Core into their instruction. Johnston said teachers are also communicating both within and throughout grade levels now to ensure consistent practices throughout the buildings.
The district plans to purchase a kindergarten through fifth grade math program to align with the Illinois Learning Standards (formerly Common Core). They will also access the MSJHS and MSHS math programs along with piloting a new kindergarten through fifth grade language arts program.
Within the five-year plan, the district also agreed to not purchase new busses for three years, saving the district over $200,000. At the end of the existing payoff period, the district will decide whether they want to maintain the purchasing program or if it makes more sense to outsource busses in the future.
They also leased a seven passenger Suburban to transport small student groups and staff during the school day or for extracurricular events instead of using a small bus for these uses.The district hopes to purchase an additional seven passenger minivan to cut back on the Suburban mileage.
The district has also saved money by purchasing Skyward’s Financial Software, which allows them to save time and track student purchases, employee pay history and distribution, and allows teachers to request time-off without the district having to call potential subs.
Johnston also reviewed additional accomplishments outside of the master plan during the retreat. The second floor of Sangamon received air conditioning last spring. MSJHS shifted into the Middle School Concept at the beginning of the school year, and students are enjoying locker replacements, air conditioning in half of the instructional areas and new bleachers in the gymnasium
MSHS received a new press box this fall. In the fall of 2013, the Dutton Field also received additional sidewalks and ADA compliant bathrooms. Should additional funding become available, the district would like to remodel the media center and auditorium at the high school.
The five-year plan will continue to be revisited annually. A new three-year master plan will be created in June of 2015
