At the board meeting on Monday, January 27th, agricultural technology teacher Richard Houzenga presented a proposal to charter a Future Farmers of America (FFA) Chapter at the high school.
FFA is a student organization that focuses on agriculture and premier leadership, personal growth, and career exploration and success. Houzenga detailed how the chapter will be part of the same athletic conference for various competitions, such as land use, agronomy, and livestock judging contests. There’s also 27 national FFA conferences available each year to focus on teamwork, skills, careers, communication, school projects and more, depending on what the members choose.
Houzenga is in his tenth year of being an ag teacher – he previously taught at Riverdale and helped get their FFA chapter going. He’s a West Carroll High School graduate and has an ag degree with valuable experience in teaching shop, business, ag camp, and wildlife courses. He’s also certified to teach a hunter safety course. In his two years at Erie, he’s been teaching shop, industrial tech, and will be starting plant science classes. He said he’s a “livestock guy” and that can be a focus of the chapter. As an FFA adviser, he’ll work an extra 400 hours per school year and be paid an additional $10,000 as part of his contract.
Houzenga said the signature page to be chartered needs to be submitted by March 8th. Once the papers are signed, they can get grants for projects, community events, and outreach. They’ll also be eligible for a $5,000 start-up grant per year for the first two years.
Erie once had an FFA chapter, with teacher Tom Hammer leading it through 1977, and then it continued until the 1990s before dissolving. When asked about getting an active FFA Alumni group going for support and fundraising such as in Morrison, Houzenga said he’d likely get together an advisory council with local farmers and business leaders instead. He also noted that it would be a standalone chapter, although they can do some activities with the Prophetstown FFA chapter, such as parades and other friendly activities.
Board President Jason Norman said it sounds positive, and he hopes the school can be supportive, especially as it’s geared for farmers and other professionally respected careers. “It’s impressive what can come out of a program like this. It can fill a small void for kids without a true fit, be it sports or extracurriculars,” he added. The proposal will be on the agenda for a vote at the next meeting.
Action Items
The board approved the Class of 2025 high school graduation date of Sunday, May 18th at 2 p.m. They approved the fall-spring Black Hawk College dual enrollment reimbursement as presented, which is based on grades. Norman noted that the numbers were down a couple years ago but now they’re back up. He said the credits transfer easily and it’s a “nice boost to for their first year in college.”
They discussed their annual farm lease agreement on district-owned property, which expires March 31, 2025. The board wondered if the FFA could manage the property or have a stake in it. Milem said they lease it out to be maintained, and it’s not about revenue. The board agreed that it’s too late in the farm season to end it, so they’ll work with the farmer leasing it to ensure a smooth transition. “It could be a great resource for FFA going forward,” said Norman.
They approved the first reading of the 2025-2026 school calendar, with Milem asking them to “take a look at it and let me know your thoughts.” Since they had a delay with middle school flooring, this school year will conclude on June 2nd so it will shorten summer vacation. They must have 176 student attendance days though. They’re also coordinating with the PLT#3 School District to make it smooth for athletics.
Milem said there was a “phenomenal turnout of bidders” for the asbestos abatement project in the former elementary school. Fourteen contractors attended the pre-bid meeting and ten bid on the project. “We got a fantastic price for scope of work,” said Milem who recommended the lowest bid by Nationwide Environmental & Demo LLC for $127,400. The original estimate was $250,000.
The contractors will remove asbestos from the pipes, chalkboards, insulation, floor tiles, and more starting the week of February 10th, after the legal notices are in place. Milem estimates a month’s worth of work for that, then the removal of four rooftop units for parts in the spring. The building should be ready to be demoed by the time kids are done with school.
They also approved the seniority lists for certified and non-certified staff as presented, which they do every year, and the 2nd and final reading of Press Policies 117. There was one FOIA request from the Illinois Retired Teachers Association.
Administrative Reports
Superintendent Chuck Milem reviewed snow day procedures by prefacing that there were no complaints, but he wanted to explain the late cancellation call during the extreme cold. There’s a difference between cold weather advisory versus warning, and if there’s a warning they must cancel since it’s a liability and dangerous for kids who walk to school or wait for the bus. The NWS advisory was changed to a warning at 10 p.m. that night, which led to the late cancellation. He noted that during potentially disruptive weather events, he’s in communication with area superintendents.
Bids for work at the old elementary school will go out on February 13th. Work will include demolishing the building then installing a parking lot and playground. The proposed parking lot has 61 new spaces, with plans to build a roundabout. The design includes green space and an area for dumpsters since there’s none at the elementary. Norman questioned whether some of the parking spaces were too far from the building, saying he’d prefer they be closer.
Milem said the village is planning to remove the one-way alley and expand the road a bit. He hopes that someone will eventually build a daycare on the block so the district can offer that service as well. The extra space leaves that option available, but if they want to expand parking, they’ll have to decrease the size of the playground.
Milem said the bid package will go out in February to ensure they stay on the timeline and get on the summer work list. Plans are to start as soon as the kids are done with school. There will be one general contractor to manage all the projects, with the district having a $3.6 million dollar budget. “We’ll see where things land. If it doesn’t fit the budget, we won’t do it,” said Milem.
Other upcoming projects include replacing the bleachers in the high school gym, new lighting, and replacing the middle school floor. Milem suggested using a school maintenance grant to pave the bus parking lot.
Milem said the district is taking on a security and safety initiative each year, with this year’s focus on equipping all the buses with cameras. Thanks to this effort, they’ve already been able to identify drivers who go around the stop arms. “It’s another layer of protection,” he said.
Consent Agenda
The board approved meeting minutes, activity accounts, financial reports, bills payable, and purchase orders.
Employment was approved for Tony Lopez as a bus driver at $21/hr., pending the completion of necessary licensure; and Elmo Lawson as a class II custodian at $16.50/hr., effective December 26, 2024. The resignation of Heather Bruns, high school head volleyball coach, was approved, effective immediately, and dismissals of Ollie Limkemann and Zakkary Pritchard were approved, effective immediately.
The next regular meeting of the Erie Board of Education will be on Monday, February 24th at 6:30 p.m. in the high school media center.
