Board approves district discipline plan; also approves facilities grants and automation fix in unanimous votes

Urbana School District 116’s board voted unanimously Wednesday to approve the district’s discipline‑improvement plan and a slate of action items covering bonds, maintenance grants and an HVAC automation replacement.

Discipline plan: The board approved the district discipline‑improvement plan after staff presented background on Illinois Senate Bill 100 and on the district’s work to reduce exclusionary practices. Presenter Chastity Beckles reviewed changes already made—revising the discipline matrix to remove vague categories such as “disrespect,” implementing CHAMPS classroom management and restorative practices training, and creating a tiered MTSS approach with IPS/problem‑solving meetings and progress monitoring. Beckles said the district’s risk ratio for racial disproportionality had decreased but remains an area of focus; the presentation emphasized secondary schools as priority “hot spots.” The motion to approve the plan passed by roll call with all members recorded in favor.

Votes at a glance (formal action items recorded on the agenda): - Consent agenda (minutes, bills, personnel and fund disbursements): Approved (roll call unanimous). Key amounts read aloud included Education Fund bills ~$1,500,000 and payroll/salaries/benefits roughly $5,500,000. - Resolution abating 2025 tax for general‑obligation refunding school bonds (Series 2020C): Approved (unanimous roll call). - Resolution abating 2025 tax for refunding bonds (Series 2021C): Approved (unanimous roll call). - Resolution abating 2025 tax for Series 2024A bonds (sixth grade center bonds): Approved (unanimous roll call). - District discipline‑improvement plan: Approved (unanimous roll call). - Facilities maintenance grant and King School project (energy efficiency): Board approved submitting the grant application for a proposed $110,000 project to replace variable‑frequency drives and upgrade insulation; staff said they will apply for a $50,000 state facilities maintenance grant and that the district’s estimated out‑of‑pocket cost is $60,000; motion passed by roll call. - Urbana High School BAS replacement: Board approved a not‑to‑exceed contract to TSS for $113,700 plus 10% contingency to replace obsolete automation equipment at Urbana High School; motion passed by roll call.

Board members asked clarifying questions about bid rules for technical services, timeline and contingency planning for the BAS replacement, and which documents must remain accessible during the district’s web‑accessibility migration. Staff said the BAS vendor can start immediately and work primarily in boiler rooms to minimize classroom disruption; they also said the district had been manually resetting the old system with increasing frequency and had experienced frozen pipes and a brief school closure earlier in the winter.

Next steps: Staff will submit the maintenance‑grant application for King School, begin phased BAS replacement work with TSS, and continue implementation of the discipline plan with follow‑up reporting to the board.