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School board approves tax levy
By Byron Painter
Editor
The Williamsville School Board at its December meeting Thursday night approved the property tax levy
for the 2011-12 school year.
The levy to be assessed in 2010 to be paid in 2011 is $5,754,680 without bonds and $6,954,143 with
bonds.
While the board officially levied 18 percent, it was only done that way to ensure that the district captures
all new growth; because Williamsville is in Sangamon County, which has tax caps, it has no chance of
getting that level.
A levy hearing was held before the regular meeting.
The board also approved (all votes in the meeting were 6-0, Caldwell absent) several policy updates
and the employment of non-certified staff for the following positions:
--Mitch Boston, Computer Technician
--Josh Meyers, Technology Support
--Kristine Laurenzana, SES Individual Aide
--Erica Garrison, SES Part-Time Aide
As part of the consent agenda, the board acknowledged the receipt of resignations of library aides
Paula Mulcahy and Barb McNamara.
Superintendent Dave Root went over the monthly financial update; at the end of November, the all funds
and operating fund balances was $6,028,101 and $4,818,948. Both numbers are roughly $1.4 million better
than last year at this time, while the Nov. 2007 numbers were $2,318,376 and just $507,870, respectively.
“Our fund balances continue to improve at a steady rate,” noted Root.
The state owes the district roughly $250,000.
Root, along with Board President Dave Knox and Board Secretary Sandy Walden, briefly discussed the
Board Conference they attended in Chicago last month, mentioning several different presentations they
attended on various topics.
As part of the regular faculty spotlight, Sherman Elementary second grade teacher Mindy Ashbaugh
discussed SES’ Guided Reading program, which has been place for about four years.
Guided Reading goes beyond the usual core reading curriculum done each day, and while teachers
might go about it in different ways, Ashbaugh noted, “the goals are still the same.”
There is an hour block of reading each day, part of the core curriculum with a textbook/workbook, and
guided reading is more of a “small group approach,” Ashbaugh said.
She also discussed DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment), a mechanism used to define the
reading levels of students.
Part of her roughly 20-minute presentation was a video with a small group of her students.
By Byron Painter
Editor
The Williamsville School Board at its December meeting Thursday night approved the property tax levy
for the 2011-12 school year.
The levy to be assessed in 2010 to be paid in 2011 is $5,754,680 without bonds and $6,954,143 with
bonds.
While the board officially levied 18 percent, it was only done that way to ensure that the district captures
all new growth; because Williamsville is in Sangamon County, which has tax caps, it has no chance of
getting that level.
A levy hearing was held before the regular meeting.
The board also approved (all votes in the meeting were 6-0, Caldwell absent) several policy updates
and the employment of non-certified staff for the following positions:
--Mitch Boston, Computer Technician
--Josh Meyers, Technology Support
--Kristine Laurenzana, SES Individual Aide
--Erica Garrison, SES Part-Time Aide
As part of the consent agenda, the board acknowledged the receipt of resignations of library aides
Paula Mulcahy and Barb McNamara.
Superintendent Dave Root went over the monthly financial update; at the end of November, the all funds
and operating fund balances was $6,028,101 and $4,818,948. Both numbers are roughly $1.4 million better
than last year at this time, while the Nov. 2007 numbers were $2,318,376 and just $507,870, respectively.
“Our fund balances continue to improve at a steady rate,” noted Root.
The state owes the district roughly $250,000.
Root, along with Board President Dave Knox and Board Secretary Sandy Walden, briefly discussed the
Board Conference they attended in Chicago last month, mentioning several different presentations they
attended on various topics.
As part of the regular faculty spotlight, Sherman Elementary second grade teacher Mindy Ashbaugh
discussed SES’ Guided Reading program, which has been place for about four years.
Guided Reading goes beyond the usual core reading curriculum done each day, and while teachers
might go about it in different ways, Ashbaugh noted, “the goals are still the same.”
There is an hour block of reading each day, part of the core curriculum with a textbook/workbook, and
guided reading is more of a “small group approach,” Ashbaugh said.
She also discussed DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment), a mechanism used to define the
reading levels of students.
Part of her roughly 20-minute presentation was a video with a small group of her students.
Issue Date: Dec. 23, 2010