Kaskaskia College Board of Trustees swears in new board member; approves appointees for new expert mental health panel

The Kaskaskia College Board of Trustees held its monthly meeting on Monday, June 26, 2023. Board members included Bill Hawley (Odin), Linda Stover (Centralia), Bryan Holthaus (Carlyle), Louis Kalert (Centralia), Jim Beasley (Centralia), and Madison Johnson (Student Trustee). Laura Wedekemper (Shattuc) was absent. Craig Finke (Nashville) took the oath of office at the beginning of the meeting. Finke replaced Jeff Brown (Greenville), who resigned from the board due to family obligations.

Per the State of Illinois Public Act 110 ILCS 58, the board approved the resolution for the college to form a Mental Health Early Action on Campus expert panel for the development and implementation of policies related to mental health to advise students, faculty, and staff on the proper procedures for identifying and addressing the needs of students. Members will include: 

•    Amy Zanton, KC Vice President of Student Services 
•    Terri Freeman, KC Director of Equity and Access 
•    Linda Stover MS Ed, LCPC, LSOE, LSOTP; KC Board of Trustees 
•    Laurie Wesselmann, LCPC; Family Life Consultants 
•    Members of the Student Wellness Intervention and Facilitation Team (SWIFT)  

"This panel will create policies and procedures that focus on increased training and awareness, new screening guidelines, improving treatment options, and peer support on campus," said KC Vice President of Student Services Amy Zanton.

KC Vice President of Administrative Services Judy Hemker presented information for board approval of the post-issuance tax compliance reports for the general obligation bonds series issued in 2022 and the bonds issued in 2018 for the college's fitness center. These reports document the college's due diligence for ensuring the bond's tax-advantaged status. The tax advantage for bondholders is that they do not pay federal tax on interest payments received. 

The board approved a payment of $25,000 to CliftonLarsenAllen for additional audit services. Additionally, the board approved a revised fee proposal increase of $8,310 to $63,710 from the original $55,400 proposal from CliftonLarsenAllen (CLA) for the annual financial audit. Hemker stated that CLA incurred significant additional costs for staffing and requested additional fees to complete the audit. 

The tentative fiscal year 2024 budget (effective July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024) will be on display for public review Monday-Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. in the office of the Vice President of Administrative Services, AD 211, Administration Building, 27210 College Road, Centralia IL 62801 for a minimum of 30 days beginning no later than August 21, 2023 through September 22, 2023. It will also be available on the Kaskaskia College website, https://www.kaskaskia.edu/about-kc/consumer-information/. A public budget hearing will be held as to the tentative budget of Kaskaskia College, Community College District No. 501 for Fiscal Year 2023- 2024 on September 25, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. before the regular board meeting at the Kaskaskia College Greenville Education Center, 209 North 3rd Street, Greenville, Illinois. 

The board reviewed vendor proposals for replacing and implementing new copiers, printers, and print management services on campus. The following proposals were awarded:
•    Watts Copy Systems of Springfield, IL, for purchasing a high-production black/white copier for $25,296, along with the vendor's proposed maintenance agreement.
•    Watts Copy Systems of Springfield, IL, for the purchase of ten (10) black/white printers and nine (9) black/white and color printers for $87,269, along with the vendor's proposed maintenance agreement.
•    Watts Copy Systems of Springfield, IL, for the purchase of PaperCut for $19,984.
•    GFI Digital of St. Louis, MO, for the purchase of a wide format printer for $6,871. 
•    Watts Copy Systems of Springfield, IL, for print management services, with the amount of the services contingent upon the total number of desktop printers and copies produced through the term of the agreement.

The total purchase price for all equipment is $139,420.

In other actions Monday evening, the board approved the following:
•    Appointment of Cary Day as the FOIA officer for the college. 
•    Adoption of UMB Bank's Organization Resolution and Agreement for their credit card program to allow the college to add an additional commercial credit card. 
•    The negotiation of pricing and execution of new contracts for natural gas and electricity by Vice President of Administrative Services Judy Hemker for services beginning in fall 2023. 

In personnel items, the board approved the following new hires: Aaron Snider as the Regional Support Specialist and Matthew Dunbar as the Commercial Cooking Instructor for the Centralia Correctional Center, pending state background check. Katy Knolhoff was promoted from the Nursing Success Coach position to Assistant Professor of Nursing. Resignations included Carli Sanders (Manufacturing and Work-Based Learning Coordinator), DeAndre Williams (Accounts Receivable), and Christopher Holthaus (Buildings and Grounds Technician). 

The board also approved the creation of several positions: 
•    A grant-funded Workforce Partnership Coordinator position for the Workforce Equity Initiative program to be filled by September 1, 2023. 
•    A restructured professional managerial Cosmetology Coordinator position.
•    A restructured Computer Information Technology Work-Based Learning Coordinator position.  

Kaskaskia College is a public community college in Centralia, Illinois, within South Central Illinois District 501, serving all or part of nine counties, including Bond, Clinton, Fayette, Marion, Washington, Jefferson, St. Clair, Madison, and Montgomery. Committed to making education accessible, they host the Crisp Technology Center in Centralia and also have education centers in Greenville, Nashville, Salem, Trenton, and Vandalia, Illinois. The Higher Learning Commission accredits the college, which offers a broad spectrum of degrees, programs, and certification options, specializing in 2-year associate degrees and trade school programs. Founded in 1940, Kaskaskia College was the first Class I Community College established in Illinois.