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Homewood SD 153 board approves payments, grant application, roofing contract and hires DLS teacher
Summary
At its Jan. 12 meeting the Homewood SD 153 Board of Education authorized up to $2,696,939.10 in routine payments, approved a $50,000 matching school maintenance grant application, awarded a $3,187,150 roofing contract for James Hart and approved employment of a second Daily Living Skills teacher, Riley Smith, contingent on background and certification.
The Board of Education of Homewood School District 153 on Jan. 12 approved a set of routine and capital items, including authorization of routine bill payments, a grant application, a roofing contract and the hire of a special-education teacher.
The board voted to authorize the second payment of December 2025 bills and the first payment of January 2026 bills, in an amount not to exceed $2,696,939.10. The motion carried following a roll call vote.
The board also approved the district’s application for the Illinois State maintenance grant, a state program that awards $50,000 in matching funds and prioritizes life‑safety needs. According to staff, the district plans to apply the grant toward work at James R. Griffin as described in the attached application.
On a related capital item, staff reported that six contractors submitted bids for the James Hart roofing project and that the low bid came in at $3,187,150 from Riddefer Roofing. The board moved to award the James Hart roof project at $3,187,150 and the motion passed unanimously. Staff noted the price was significantly under earlier estimates and said that coming in under budget will free life‑safety dollars for other projects.
Separately, staff reported pricing for an $8 million life‑safety bond the board previously approved; the district received an interest rate of 3.57%, below an earlier estimate of 3.71%, which staff attributed to an improved bond rating.
The board approved personnel actions on the consent agenda, including recognition of a promotion for Alma Gonzalez and the appointment of Nona Riedel as the 12‑month secretary at James Hart. The board also authorized the creation of a second Daily Living Skills (DLS) class at Churchill to address growing enrollment in that program and approved hiring Riley Smith as the second DLS teacher, effective Jan. 12, 2026, contingent on a satisfactory criminal background check and submission of required qualifications by Feb. 1, 2026.
The meeting concluded after routine business and no written communications were presented. The board is expected to bring the 2026–27 school calendar for approval at its next meeting.
