The Amboy School Board of Education District 272 approved a tentative tax levy at their Nov. 24 regular meeting following a presentation by Superintendent Quintin Shepherd titled “.1 percent CPI – really?” Shepherd said he was starting to get the tax levy set up and joked about the .1 CPI [consumer price index]. “I don’t know anybody who thought it was possible to see .1 percent CPI,” he said.

Shepherd showed the EAV trend since 1999 saying that in the past decade farmland has started to recover in terms of assessed valuation. “At the same time, we watch residential climb,” he said. “This is not just a Lee County or Amboy trend but is a statewide trend.”

Shepherd said that General State Aid and local tax extensions comprise the majority of the district’s revenues, and that because enrollment has continued to decline significantly, General State Aid will decrease. “It is going to go down to the point where we will very likely hit ‘hold harmless,’” he said, explaining that hold harmless is the minimum the state has set for the district. “We won’t receive less than that as long as the state continues to pass the hold harmless provisions. If that doesn’t pass, there is no bottom.”

In the future, local tax levies will become a larger portion of revenue. “We’ll end up leaning more heavily on our tax revenues to operate the district,” Shepherd said. “We have to start to consider how we’re going to adapt to meet this challenge. We’ve met the challenge several times in our past and we will meet the challenge this time.”

Shepherd said he believes the district is holding steady for now. “We’ve been conservative and forward thinking and we’ll continue to be in a good spot as long as we’re patient and thoughtful about how we proceed,” he said.

The board approved a public hearing be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17 at Amboy High School.

(Editor’s note: Shepherd’s levy presentation is available on the district’s website at www.amboy.net)

PRINCIPALS’ REPORTS

Amboy High School principal Jeff Thake thanked parents who filled out the first quarter parent survey. Thake said the high school consistently scored “above average” in all categories.

Thake also reported that the recent Barnes & Noble benefit for the school library, which was sponsored by librarian Mary Jo Zinke, had $9,977 in sales with additional out-of-state sales yet to be added. “We heard all positive comments about the Amboy students,” Thake said. “Hats off to Mrs. Zinke for a job well done.”

Amboy Junior High principal Joyce Schamberger said the PBIS teacher team met and discussed plans for monthly student training and the possibility of re-teaching the three Rs beginning in January.

Schamberger reported on the Veteran’s Day program held Nov. 11 at the junior high. Attendees included Central School students, veterans from the Amboy Nursing Home and Amboy American Legion Post 453. Soldiers from the Dixon Armory spoke to the students and President Obama’s Veteran’s Day Proclamation was read during the program. “At the end of the program, every junior high student shook the hand of a veteran in attendance and thanked them for all their sacrifices,” Schamberger said. “That was pretty cool.”

A canned food drive, sponsored by student council, will continue until Dec. 12. A goal of 1,000 cans has been set.

The 5th grade class won Best Attendance for October and the PTC furnished breakfast for those students. Toni Fassig and the kitchen helpers prepared and served the breakfast.

Central School principal Jessica McCormick updated the board on PBIS, which will kick off in December with an all-school Polar Express Day. “Then we plan to go over the rules and expectations in January and start moving forward,” McCormick said.

McCormick thanked those who volunteered and attended the recent Fall Festival and Book Fair and said that winter parties will be held on Dec. 17.

Board member Joe Flessner thanked everyone for the most recent school report cards. “These are the prettiest report cards for the schools I’ve ever seen in 18 years,” he said. “It’s at all three schools. We’ve heard excuses [in the past] why this class or that class didn’t make it. These are great. Keep it going.”

PERSONNEL

Following closed session, the board accepted the retirement resignation of Al Groll as maintenance director as of Dec. 31, 2009. They also accepted the resignation of Quintin Shepherd as superintendent at the conclusion of the 2009-10 school year.

The next regular board meeting and levy hearing will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 17 at Amboy High School, room 105.