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Board of Trustees Meeting - September 11, 2023
Meeting Highlights
Under New Business, the Board:
- approved the final FY 2024 budget as presented at the August 8, 2023 Board of Trustees meeting, effective September 11, 2023
RATIONALE: Provided as a separate document, the FY 2024 budget was presented in tentative form at the August meeting. As required by law, the proposed budget has been available for public inspection for thirty (30) days. A public hearing on said budget was held at 12:00 PM on the 11th day of September, 2023.
- approved the development of new courses, changes to existing course and curriculum, and to authorize their submission to the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) for action effective on the dates listed, effective September 11, 2023.
RATIONALE: The above items have been approved by the Curriculum Committee and Academic Council. These additions improve the college's educational offerings and support efforts to enhance the quality of instruction.
- approved revisions to Rend Lake College Board Policy & Procedure 3.1205 – Performance Evaluation and Tenure of Faculty Members, as presented, effective September 11, 2023.
RATIONALE: The tenured/tenure track faculty seniority list is updated each Spring and Fall as needed and requires Board approval for revisions.
- approved revisions to Rend Lake College Policy & Procedure 4.1115 – Fees, effective the Spring Term2024. RATIONALE: Rend Lake College Policy & Procedure 4.1115 – Fees needs to be updated to better reflect the needs of the college.
- granted permission to create Rend Lake College Policy & Procedure 3.1035 – Paid Leave for All Workers (Part Time Employees), first reading, as presented, effective January 01, 2024.
RATIONALE: This policy is being created to be compliant with Public Act 102-1143 - Paid Leave for All Workers Act. The new legislation goes into effect January 01, 2024.
- approved revisions to Rend Lake College Policy 3.1520 – Personal Leave, first reading, effective January 01, 2024.
RATIONALE: These policy revisions are needed in order to comply with Public Act 102-1143 - Paid Leave for All Workers Act. Legislation goes into effect January 01, 2024.
- ratified the sponsorship and naming rights agreement with Banterra Bank to name the Rend Lake College Sports Complex as the Banterra Sports Complex, which is part of The Game Plan Capital Campaign, effective August 30, 2023.
RATIONALE: Banterra Bank has been a long-time supporter of Rend Lake College with their devotion and significant financial support of Foundation and College initiatives. This corporate naming rights sponsorship of $1 million toward The Game Plan will be instrumental in the completion of the project. The Banterra Sports Complex will include the existing James “Hummer” Waugh Gymnasium, which will remain as named, as well as the planned addition to the space.
- ratified the award to Heartland Mechanical in Murphysboro for $47,250 to install four heaters at the Agronomy Innovation Center, effective September 11, 2023.
RATIONALE: This project will be funded with Protection, Health and Safety Levy funds.
- ratified the award to E.T. Simonds Construction in Carbondale for $567,705.47 for the parking lot resurfacing at Rend Lake College Ina campus, effective September 11, 2023.
RATIONALE: This award was in response to the advertisement for competitive bids.
- approved and awarded the bid of $5,212,000 by Bevis Construction in Mt. Vernon for the construction of the Southern Illinois Manufacturing Academy, pending approval from the Economic Development Administration (EDA), effective September 11, 2023.
RATIONALE: In response to the advertisement for competitive bids, we received the following bids. This project will be funded by the Economic Development Administration (EDA) Grant.
- accepted the 2023 Tax Levy (Payable 2024). The proposed tax levy will be filed in accord with the Truth in Taxation compliance laws.
RATIONALE: The proposed taxes to be levied for tax year 2023, payable 2024, will be $4,525,905 for corporate and special purpose; and $3,923,278 for debt service. Due to the fact that the amount of the proposed corporate and special purpose tax levy is NOT greater than 105% of the prior year’s levy, Rend Lake College is not required to publish a notice of tax increase nor conduct a Truth in Taxation hearing.
- granted permission to bid to replace Air Handler Unit 37 in the Advanced Technology Center and Sidewalk replacement using PHS Levy funds for FY25, effective September 11, 2023
RATIONALE: The current air handler has exceeded its life expectancy and has become unreliable and costly to repair. Various sidewalks across campus are becoming trip hazards and need repairs. This project is expected to exceed the
$50,000 limit set by Illinois Community College Board’s guidelines and must be advertised for competitive bids. There are not sufficient funds available in the Operations and Maintenance Funds to complete these projects.
- granted permission to issue a request for proposals for the design of a new website at www.rlc.edu, effective September 11, 2023
RATIONALE: The current website design, created internally almost 8 years ago, needs an upgrade. A new, modern design that is mobile-responsive and optimized for conversions is necessary. This is crucial because the website plays a significant role in providing services to the market. By implementing a new design, we can increase enrollment, provide a better user experience, cater to higher education needs, ensure compliance with accessibility laws, simplify editing for non-technical contributors, and improve search-engine optimization.
- approved the revisions to the Rend Lake College Board of Trustees calendar year 2023 meeting schedule, as presented, effective September 11, 2023.
RATIONALE: The calendar year 2023 schedule revisions include changes to the September meeting date for our Joint Board Meeting with Southeastern Illinois University at SIC campus.
Under Personnel, the Board:
- accepted the resignation of Dr. Gabriele Farner, Dean of Applied Science and Technology, effective August 11, 2023.
- accepted the resignation of Sarah Healy, Business Office Accountant, effective September 5, 2023.
- revised the job description and appointed Shari Carpenter as Dean of Applied Science and Technology, effective September 1, 2023.
- ratified the appointment of Jay Copple as Automotive Technology Instructor, on a temporary full-time, 36-week, tenure track contract, effective August 21, 2023.
- granted permission to create the one-time stipend positions of Pyramid Model Implementation Lead ($1,500) and Pyramid Model Implementation Team Member ($1,000) for FY24, as presented, effective September 11, 2023.
- ratified the appointment of Megan Rounds as CTE Recruiter, effective September 1, 2023. Rounds has served the district as Land of Lincoln AmeriCorps Director since 2016. She holds a master's degree and bachelor's degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, as well as an associate degree from RLC.
Under Financial Information, the Board:
Mark Your Calendars
September 12 | 9:30am - 11:30 am
IACAC College Fair
RLC Event Center
September 14, 15 & 18 | 8am-4pm
Amazing Career Race
Event Center
September 20 | Noon - 3pm
Fun Fest
RLC Ina Campus
September 26 | 6pm
SIC/RLC Joint Board Meeting
Southeastern IL Campus
October 10 | 8am - 3pm
Faculty & Staff In-Service (No Classes)
RLC Ina Campus
October 10 | 6:30pm
RLC Board of Trustee Meeting
Event Center
October 17 & 18 | 8am - 4pm
CTE Career Days
Event Center
Resources
Board of Trustees Members