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Zion ESD 6 board adopts 2025–26 budget and a three-year eLearning plan
Summary
At its Sept. 15 meeting the Zion ESD 6 Board of Education approved the 2025–2026 budget and adopted a three-year eLearning plan to guide emergency remote instruction; the board also approved a memorandum of understanding with the Zion Education Association and several contract extensions and personnel actions.
The Zion Elementary School District 6 Board of Education approved its 2025–2026 school budget and adopted a three-year eLearning plan at a regularly scheduled meeting on Sept. 15, 2025.
The board voted to adopt the 2025–2026 budget after a presentation by Chief School Business Official Samantha Snyder outlining budget assumptions, projected revenues and expenditures, fund balances and grant funding. The motion to approve the budget was made by Robert Surano and seconded by Jazmine Crump; the roll call vote recorded ayes and the motion carried.
Earlier in the meeting, Erik Youngman, the district’s director of teaching and learning, presented an updated eLearning Plan intended to guide instruction if school buildings must close for emergency reasons. The plan covers a three-year period (2025–2026 through 2027–2028) and, as presented, would allow the district to designate one or two emergency days before shifting to eLearning to avoid extending the school year in June. The board approved a resolution adopting the eLearning Plan; the vote carried with one dissenting vote from Ken Fielding.
The board also approved a memorandum of understanding with the Zion Education Association addressing Pre-K assessment of student growth. Netya Perez Rivera moved the MOU; Jazmine Crump seconded and the motion passed on roll call.
Other formal actions at the meeting included approval of multiple personnel items (resignations, hires and a rescission of a previously approved hire), the posting of the EIS Administrator and Teacher Salary and Benefits Report for 2024–2025 per Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) requirements, and several contract extensions. The board extended the snow removal services contract with APEX Landscaping Inc. for one year and approved a three-year extension of auditing services with Evans, Marshall & Pease, P.C. through June 30, 2028. The board also approved special education related-services contracts with Aya Education and Onward.
Public participation included a request from staff member Julie Gentzen to reconsider a denied 6th-grade field trip request for Zion Central Middle School and an information drop from Robin Cook of the Zion Benton Public Library about upcoming library programming.
The meeting closed after routine reports from the president and superintendent; President Margie Taylor reviewed the October calendar and noted committee discussion about building maintenance, and Superintendent Julious Lawson reported on an Educare visit and an upcoming news segment on MMR vaccination rates in advance of the Oct. 15 medical exclusion date. The board adjourned at 7:13 p.m.
The minutes record motions and roll-call results for each action taken; specific employment approvals, salaries, contract terms and dates are listed in the district record and were presented during the meeting.
