D46 board approves personnel hires, financial resolutions, contracts and technology purchases; selects BWP for superintendent search

The Community Consolidated School District 46 board on Feb. 26 approved multiple personnel appointments and administrative actions, adopted financial resolutions to enable tax abatement, renewed selected contracts and authorized technology purchases. The board also selected the search firm BWP for the superintendent search.

Key votes and outcomes are summarized below. Roll-call results are recorded in the meeting transcript; all vote records below reflect the board roll calls that the clerk read into the record during the meeting.

Votes at a glance

- Resignation accepted: Dr. Stephanie Diaz, director of Multilingual Services, effective 02/28/2025 — Motion approved (aye: Bridal; Miller; Mack; Albert; Weidman; LaCroix; Braden).

- Interim appointment: Vanessa Herrera Morelos appointed 0.4 FTE interim director of multilingual services (concurrent with assistant principal duties at Park Campus) effective 02/17/2025 with a $2,000 monthly stipend through 06/30/2025 — Motion approved (ayes recorded: Miller; Braden; Mack; Albert; Weidman; LaCroix; Bridal).

- Principal appointment: Dr. Jeff Prickett approved as Meadowview principal for 2025–26 — Motion approved (ayes recorded: Mack; Miller; Weidman; Albert; LaCroix; Braden).

- Director of Operations appointment: Jose Zerez approved as director of operations, maintenance and safety, effective 03/17/2025 — Motion approved (ayes recorded: Albert; Mack; Miller; Braden; LaCroix; Weidman).

- Contract renewal: GSF nighttime custodial services for 2025–26 — Motion approved (ayes recorded: Weidman; Miller; Mack; Braden; LaCroix; Albert).

- Financial resolutions to permit tax abatement and short-term cash flows: (1) resolution authorizing issuance of $3,015,000 taxable 2024 educational purposes tax anticipation warrants; (2) resolution directing transfer from working cash fund to educational fund in anticipation of tax collections; and (3) resolution transferring funds to bond fund and abating taxes levied for 2024 to pay debt service — All three resolutions approved on roll call (ayes recorded across present members). The superintendent explained the sequence: the district will borrow short-term to ensure funds are available now for the abatement and will repay when tax receipts arrive in May and September; the abatement filing deadline at the county level is Feb. 28 by state statute.

- Superintendent search firm: BWP selected as the board’s search consultant — Motion approved (aye: Albert; Braden; Mack; Weidman; LaCroix; Bridal; Nay: Miller). Miller recorded a dissenting vote during the motion.

- Technology and equipment purchases: Purchase of Apple laptops for certified staff and a Forward Edge battery-backup system approved — Motions approved on roll call (ayes recorded: LaCroix; Albert; Mack; Braden; Weidman; Miller).

Other routine items including approval of the consent agenda and personnel addendum were approved earlier in the meeting.

What the resolutions mean

Board members said the borrowing and transfers are a planned sequence to enable a tax abatement promised after a referendum; district leaders explained that the measures are legal, temporary and will be reimbursed once tax collections are received. "For the abatement to be fully legal and accepted by Lake County, we must have the full abatement amount available in the Education Fund at the time of the resolution," the superintendent said when explaining the three linked resolutions.

The BWP selection followed discussion of alternative proposals and a separate board debate; one member raised concerns about whether combining a superintendent search and strategic planning under a single vendor would be preferable. The motion to hire BWP passed with one recorded 'no' vote by Board Member Miller.

The meeting adjourned to closed session on collective bargaining and salary-schedule deliberations following the votes.