Zion ESD 6 board approves placing county facility tax question on ballot; approves personnel, budgets and contracts

The Zion Elementary School District 6 Board of Education on April 20 approved a resolution allowing the regional superintendent to place a County School Facility Occupation Tax question on the next regular election ballot, and approved multiple personnel actions, budget preparations and contracts.

Board President Margie Taylor brought the resolution forward and the board approved it 4–1; board member Ken Fielding voted against the resolution. The vote was recorded during the New Business portion of the meeting.

The board also approved the Consent Agenda, which included acceptance of several resignations effective at the end of the 2025–2026 school year (one updated to March 30, 2026) and authorization to hire two human resources staff members: Monika Gunasekaran as Human Resources Generalist at $75,400 and Marlene Ortega as Human Resources Benefit and Leave Generalist at $70,000, both effective April 21, 2026. The superintendent’s personnel recommendations were approved by roll call vote.

In other votes, the board:

- Approved the district’s 2025–2026 safety drill reports on a unanimous roll call.

- Appointed Samantha Snyder as Treasurer and approved the Treasurer’s Bond effective July 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027; the motion passed unanimously.

- Authorized preparation of the FY26 Amended Budget and set a public hearing for June 15, 2026 at 6:00 p.m., and separately authorized preparation of the FY27 Tentative Budget; both motions were approved unanimously.

- Approved a Sewer Replacement Agreement as presented; the motion carried unanimously.

- Approved release of select closed session minutes (May 19, 2025; June 16, 2025; August 11, 2025) and destruction of certain 2024 closed-session verbatim recordings (dates listed in the recommendation); both motions passed unanimously.

- Approved Non-ZEA and district support staff salaries for 2026–2027 and administrator contracts for 2026–2027, excluding the Chief School Business Official contract; both actions passed unanimously.

The board entered closed session at 7:09 p.m. to discuss personnel and related matters under the authority cited on the agenda (5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1)) and returned to open session at 8:02 p.m. The meeting adjourned at 8:06 p.m.

Votes at a glance

- Amended agenda approval: Motion by Ken Fielding, seconded by Netya Perez Rivera; roll call 5–0 (approved). - Consent agenda (minutes, resignations, hires including Gunasekaran and Ortega): roll call 5–0 (approved). - Safety Drills 2025–2026: roll call 5–0 (approved). - County School Facility Occupation Tax resolution: motion by Jazmine Crump, seconded by Robert Surano; roll call 4–1 (Ayes: Jazmine Crump, Robert Surano, Margie Taylor, Netya Perez Rivera; Nay: Ken Fielding) (approved). - Treasurer’s Bond (appoint Samantha Snyder): motion by Ken Fielding, seconded by Netya Perez Rivera; roll call 5–0 (approved). - Authorization to prepare FY26 Amended Budget and set public hearing (June 15, 2026): roll call 5–0 (approved). - Authorization to prepare FY27 Tentative Budget: roll call 5–0 (approved). - Sewer Replacement Agreement: roll call 5–0 (approved). - Enter closed session under 5 ILCS 120/2(c)(1): motion by Robert Surano, seconded by Jazmine Crump; roll call 5–0 (approved). - Release closed session minutes (May 19, June 16, August 11, 2025) and destroy select 2024 verbatim recordings (dates listed): roll call 5–0 (approved). - Non-ZEA and district support staff salaries 2026–2027: roll call 5–0 (approved). - Administrator contracts 2026–2027 (excluding CSBO): roll call 5–0 (approved).

What this means

The board’s approval to place the County Facility Tax question on the ballot allows the regional superintendent to pursue placing the question before voters; the board did not itself levy a tax. The budget authorizations set the schedule for public review: the FY26 amended budget will be subject to a public hearing on June 15, 2026. Personnel approvals put two new HR hires on the payroll effective April 21, 2026 and ratified multiple staff resignations and contract approvals. The board scheduled a closed session for personnel matters and approved routine record-retention actions.

The board’s next steps include the public hearing on the FY26 amended budget (June 15) and, as noted by President Margie Taylor, the superintendent evaluation scheduled for closed session on May 18, 2026.