Reports
Superintendent Chuck Milem first provided an update about work at the Wayne Hein Memorial Track. The track striper had mechanical issues with the equipment and was supposed to start Monday but will likely begin toward the end of this week. Work on the goal posts on the football field are also supposed to begin Friday. A few minor fixes are needed in the 6th/7th grade science lab; contractors are coming Wednesday afternoon during SIP day to address those concerns—otherwise, most of the summer middle school projects are wrapped up. The amended budget with adjusted numbers is on tonight’s agenda for discussion.
Board President Jason Norman highlighted that petitions will be available starting Tuesday, August 25th for the April 6, 2027 Consolidated Election, noting that board members Keith Naftzger, Mark Wiseley, and Shannon James will be up for reelection. The petitions for the three 4-year terms need to be filed November 16-23. He encouraged the board and any interested community members to start thinking about it and getting their paperwork together.
Milem reported that the Finance & Insurance Committee met in late August, and the health insurance renewal numbers for Blue Cross Blue Shield are very high. They’ve been trying to come up with options, though “it’s out of our control.” He’ll continue communication with the committee and staffers for feedback and opportunities for discussion. “We’re working on it and will continue to work on it the rest of the school year,” said Milem, adding that Erie was on the lower end of the percentage of increase compared to other neighboring school districts.
Norman asked what alternative options they have or if the company will phase out or price the district out with insurance plans. They agreed to start conversations about options and what it might look like, giving the board time to process which direction they should go. Other than salaries, health insurance is the biggest expense for the district, at around $2 million annually.
Milem also reported that the next EP Co-op meeting is on Wednesday, September 9th at 6 p.m. at the EHS Media Center.
Consent Agenda
The board approved as presented the June 22nd meeting minutes, activity accounts, June and July financial reports, and bills payable and purchase orders. The Personnel Consent Agenda was also approved:
Employment
- Matt Armstrong, Social Studies Curriculum Chair, $1,900, effective August 12, 2026
- Class II Custodian, Berkely Eggers, $18.72/hr., effective July 27, 2026
- PK Coordinator, Caroline Tenboer, $20,500, effective August 3, 2026
- Cook Assistant, Emma Reisenbigler, $17.16/hr., effective August 12, 2026
- Terry Dinges, Bus Driver, $23.40/hr., effective August 11, 2026
- Dusty Fink, Van Driver, $23.40/hr., effective August 11, 2026
- Janice Martens, Bus Aide, $17.16/hr., effective August 12, 2026
- Sherry Brackemyer, Bus Aide, $17.16/hr., effective August 12, 2026
- Keegan Winckler, 7th/8th Asst. Football Coach, $3,045, effective August 7, 2026
Resignations
- Erin Eckberg, PK Coordinator, effective August 20, 2026
- Shelley Shroeder, Cook Assistant, effective immediately
- Chelsea Stuart, Softball Coach, effective immediately
Action Items
Milem presented the FY27 Tentative Amended Budget, which is posted below, on the district’s website, or available for inspection at the district office. Milem said the budget is conservative in revenue with higher expenditures and dozens of what-if scenarios. “We do our best to predict where we’ll be throughout the fiscal year,” he said, noting that Constellation Energy is 70% of their tax extension and there’s a potential 20% increase for CPPRT funds. The budget is similar to last year with a slight increase for the 1% School Facility Tax and other revenue assumptions.
For expenditure assumptions, the district has five teachers and two administrators in the retirement pipeline; they just got renewal numbers for insurance premium increases; they’re in year 3 of a 5-year bus lease; special ed costs are up; and operating expenses are similar for phones and waste disposal. They’ve had lots of overage fees with Republic Services, so they can always look around for another provider. The district is also looking to purchase an 83-passenger bus to consolidate team travel.
Regarding long-term debt, Milem reiterated that the district has had no debt since 2021. “We are using district reserves, along with funneling revenue over the next two fiscal years, to fund the Middle School project. This approach allows us to complete the project without increasing the tax rate, issuing bonds, or taking on any debt.”
Transfers between the O&M and Working Cash to the Capital Projects fund will go down drastically over the next couple of years. The budget is “lots of educated guesses” and a roadmap for potential balances and where things could be. Norman said they have a high surplus and savings, with the overall cash flow and reserves available for the next $11 million project at the middle school.
Next on the agenda for discussion only was the Future Facilities Plan (posted below) and the timeline for the next phase of middle school project. Since the last meeting in June, contractor Estes Construction provided renderings, a timeline of work to be done, and plans to work around the school schedule to limit interruptions to the learning environment.
Milem said the earliest work could start this fall with the exterior of the gym, where contractors can install tenting to work on the walls through the winter to get that done with no interruptions. Milem noted that the gym is the primary driver of the project and the main priority, and once that project is done, they can use it for everything else such as PE, recess, and extracurricular activities.
The projected timeline from November 2026 – January 2028 was presented:
- September 21, 2026 – Issue documents for bids
- October 15, 2026 – Bids due
- October 26, 2026 – Board meeting to consider approval of bids
- November 2026 – Procurement and construction mobilization
- Winter 2027 – Infrastructure and exterior additions – gym breakthrough starts this Spring
- June 2027 – Locker room floors and storage substantial completion
- August 2027 – Media Center and office substantial completion
- Early September 2027 – Gym substantial completion
- October 2027 – STEM substantial completion
- December 2027 – Cafeteria and Concessions substantial completion
- January 2028 – Art substantial completion
Milem said the last scheduled day of school for the 2026-2027 year is May 19th, depending on winter weather, with the construction schedule aligned to try and minimize interruptions.
Renderings also showed upgrades to the gym, cafeteria, media center, restrooms, concessions, and art and STEM rooms. The concessions space will be bigger and better functioning, along with a new storage area and a ticket window for games, and the kitchen will be updated to Whiteside County Health Department standards. Along with the gym expansion and new layout, there will be built-in sound baffles and possibly moving the HVAC to the rafters. There will be a new recess area for the junior high students due to the expansion, with updates to the fencing.
For the front of the building, the media center and main office will have a “change of flow” with a bigger window and a better view of who is coming in. The library will have one-on-one rooms, reading zones, and booths. Updates will also include more natural lighting and integration of school colors.
The current trophy room will be the new main entrance for athletic and extracurricular events, and a TV will be installed for a revolving slideshow of photos of awards, trophies, and athletes. Restrooms will be easily accessible from this entrance. They can open both entrances if need be for larger events, but in general the school will be locked down past the gym and commons area.
For the art room, which will be the last part of the project, they’ll take the two rooms and make it into one, like the science labs. There will be additional storage space, and a kiln will be installed along the back wall, with all three schools then having their own kiln for ceramics courses. There will also be an exit door to the outdoor green space like the new exterior of the STEM room, along with a new “curriculum flow and facilities to match.”
Milem said a few unforeseen additions are needed, such as a sprinkler system for the 8th grade wing that was added in 1992. A new system will help with Health Life Safety funds and the fire code. He’s looking at local companies for installation and review of water lines and pressure, and he’ll need to meet with Village of Erie officials as part of that project. Milem reported that 12 engineers, architects, and construction management, along with the school’s maintenance team, met last week and they’re “troubleshooting as we speak.” Parking is also under consideration for future improvements, with Milem noting that the circle drive is a huge area that can be transformed if needed.
As for the project budget, there will be no financial impact to the tax levy, no loans, and no bonds, with funding to be spread around for this “single comprehensive project.”
Milem admitted that fall concessions will be interrupted next season and there are still lots of unknowns. However, it will be spectacular when it’s done, and he’s excited about the project. “The key word is flexibility,” said Principal Justin Hovey.
The gym has been the biggest complaint over the years and once done, it should alleviate a lot of issues, especially after adding lots of 6th grade activities. “It solves all the issues we were concerned about,” said Punke.
Norman said the process will be moving quickly now, with documents to be finalized in September for the bidding process, where the bids will be sectioned out and not all one bid. Milem said he received around 12 bid packages for the elementary school project and expects something similar.
Milem also said he’ll also be increasing communications with the community about the project. This next phase is something they’ve been talking about doing for the last couple of years and now they’re ready to see results of all the envisioning, planning, and budgeting. Norman thanked all the board members, saying there’s been “lots of work on this.”
Next on the agenda was to declare the 2014 International School bus as surplus to sell as is or donate it to the fire department for safety drills, which would “help both of us.” If selling as is, they would include the “laundry list of things to repair.” The first step is to declare it as surplus, then the board can decide what to do with it at the next meeting.
Wiseley said it’d be a good vehicle to train on, with a lot of value for first responders. Milem said they can take it off the depreciation schedule to get reimbursement from the state. The bus doesn’t need to be replaced. They have three buses that are not part of the lease, though this would bring them down to two.
In final action, the board approved Press Plus 122 policies. Milem reported ten FOIAs were received and answered for Data Branch, which is constantly looking at different vendors.
The next regular meeting of the Board of Education will be on Monday, September 28th at 6:30 p.m. in the High School Media Center.
