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Votes at a glance: Decatur SD 61 board approves consent items, expulsions, personnel and program renewals
Summary
The Decatur Public School District 61 Board of Education approved multiple consent and action items including consent calendar, three expulsions, personnel actions, superintendent compensation, calendar finalization, program renewals and one employee termination.
At its April 15 meeting, the Decatur Public School District 61 Board of Education approved multiple consent and roll-call items. Discussion on many items was brief; the board recorded roll-call votes for each action listed below.
Summary of roll-call outcomes (motions carried unless noted):
- Consent calendar (minutes, FOIA report, bills, IESA/IHSA memberships for Eisenhower and MacArthur): Motion carried, roll-call 5–0 (2 absent).
- Expulsion: Student 2425-0020 — Board authorized issuance of a decision consistent with a hearing officer’s report and expelled the student through the first semester of the 2026–27 school year with return allowed after winter break of 2026–27; recorded vote 4 ayes, 0 nays, 1 abstain, 2 absent (motion carried). (Motion text referenced hearing officer findings.)
- Expulsion: Student 2425-0021 — Board authorized issuance of a decision consistent with the hearing officer’s report and expelled the student through the first semester of the 2026–27 school year with return after winter break of 2026–27; recorded vote 4 ayes, 0 nays, 1 abstain, 2 absent (motion carried).
- Expulsion: Student 2425-0022 — Board authorized issuance of a decision consistent with the hearing officer’s report and expelled the student through the first semester of the 2026–27 school year with return after winter break of 2026–27; recorded vote 5 ayes, 0 nays, 2 absent (motion carried).
- Personnel action items (human resources memo): Motion carried, roll-call 5–0 (2 absent).
- Superintendent compensation (2024–25 and 2025–26 school years): Motion carried, roll-call 4 ayes, 1 nay, 2 absent (motion carried). One board member stated they felt appropriate procedures for developing the contract had not been followed.
- Final calendar for the 2024–25 school year (confirming last student attendance day, May 22): Motion carried, roll-call 5–0 (2 absent).
- Increase teacher-ready program slots from 25 to 50: Motion carried, roll-call 5–0 (2 absent).
- Approve handwriting curriculum “Learning Without Tears” (printing and cursive): Motion carried, roll-call 5–0 (2 absent).
- FastBridge (DIBELS-like assessment) renewal: Motion carried, roll-call 4 ayes, 1 nay, 2 absent. One board member expressed concern about overtesting and voted no.
- District consolidated plan (state-required plan to enable Title submissions): Motion carried, roll-call 5–0 (2 absent). Board members clarified this is not the district’s Roadmap 2030 strategic plan.
- Lamar digital billboard renewal (marketing/teacher recruitment): Motion carried, roll-call 4 ayes, 1 nay, 2 absent. Board members asked about referral-source tracking for hires; communications staff reported 15 applicants in one month listed marketing as their referral.
- Personnel termination (Decatur Educational Support Personnel Association employee Natasha Cobb): Motion carried, roll-call 3 ayes, 2 nays, 2 absent.
The board recessed into a closed executive session during the meeting for employee-discipline hearings and collective-bargaining matters and reconvened to complete votes and adjourn.
