BOE Monthly Meeting Summary

The Litchfield Community Unit School District #12 Board of Education met on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, at the Kilton Fine Arts Center for its monthly board meeting.

These are not the official meeting minutes and do not include every detail from the meeting; instead, they are a summary to assist the Purple Panther community. Once the board approves them, the official minutes can be found on the LCUSD #12 Board of Education Minutes page on the website.

High School Ladies Golf Sectional Qualifiers:

Faith Ellinger

Janet Mazza

Ryder MaGuire

Tessa Pastrovich

Middle School Cross Country State Qualifiers:

Aaliyah Jones

Chloe Seaton

Litchfield High School

Football

We were able to celebrate our senior cheerleaders, band members, and football player on Friday, October 16th with a game against Clinton.

Soccer

Regional play began Monday night with a win by our Purple Panthers. They will play on Saturday, October 24th vs Staunton at 10am in Taylorville for the Regional Championship Title.

Cross Country

Congrats to our boys and girls cross country teams for both winning the South Central Conference Championship on Saturday, 10/17.

Golf

Girls golf competed in regionals on Tuesday, September 29 at Lake Shore Golf Course in Taylorville. Congrats to Faith Ellinger, Tessa Pastrovich, Janet Mazza, and Ryder MaGuire on advancing to sectional play where they competed at Lincoln Greens in Springfield on Monday, October 5th.

Boys golf season came to an end at the Timber Lakes regional in Staunton, IL on Wednesday, September 30.

Volleyball

Volleyball finished in 4th place at the Civic Memorial Tournament on Saturday, October 17. Congrats to Amari Vickery on being named to the All-Tournament Team! Senior night will be Tuesday, October 20th and then regional play begins on Monday, October 26 in Auburn.

Litchfield Middle School

Cross Country

Congratulations to the LMS Cross Country team on a great season! A couple of team highlights from this season:

Gillespie Coal Mine Classic - Boys and Girls placed first / Trimpe Invite - Boys placed 2nd and Girls 4th / Sectionals - Boys placed 4th and Girls 5th

A special congratulations to our 2 LMS Cross Country State qualifiers: Aaliyah Jones & Chloe Seaton. Aaliyah has qualified for state her first 2 years at LMS.

Out of 221 total runners competing at the state meet, Aaliyah finished 58th while Chloe placed 113th

Girls Basketball

The LMS Girls Basketball team has been busy to start their season and have played a combined 22 games at 3 levels. Litchfield will host Morrisonville on Thursday night for their "Pink Out" night organized by the Pep Club.

Overall Records

8th - 2-6

7A - 5-2

7B - 4-3

Boys Basketball

The LMS Boys basketball team started practice this Monday and is looking to have another strong year. They have a total of 32 players signed up in grades 6th,7th and 8th. Go Panthers!

A special thank you to Tabitha Jo Ostermann for the amazing photographs she takes of our students across the district at sporting and extracurricular events! Tabitha has a wonderful talent for capturing special moments, and she generously shares her photos for free on social media for students, families, and our community to enjoy. Her photography provides families with memories they will treasure for years to come, and we are so appreciative of the time and effort she puts into doing this!

I know Tabitha is not the only person who gives their time and talents to support our students, and we are incredibly grateful for the many parents and community members who do so much for our schools. It is just one more example of what makes Purple Panther Nation so special. Thank you, Tabitha, and thank you to everyone who continues to support and celebrate our students!

LECC: We have had a busy month at Litchfield Early Childhood Center. Our students have had several opportunities for visits out into the community and for parts of the community to visit them. Parents and community members have begun volunteering to come into the classrooms and serve as Mystery Readers in Kindergarten. We have seen close to a half dozen adults come in to read thus far.

Pre K students had a great field trip with family to the Marcoot Creamery in Greenville IL. Children had a great time visiting the cows that make our milk and also had a chance to sample some of the end products, namely ICE CREAM!!

Mrs. Warchol's class had a great mad science day and did all sorts of interrelated science activities. She took on the appearance of a famous scientist who looked a little "mad" at times.

Not more than 3 weeks ago, we also experienced FIRE SAFETY WEEK and worked with our partners at the Litchfield Fire department to engage our children at the school with a tour of the fire equipment as well as chat about the job of firefighters and EMS workers. 8 of our students were selected to go to the firehouse itself for lunch courtesy of Chief Adam Pennock and his crew that was working the day shift. We always appreciate being able to visit.

We have MANY signed up for parent teacher conferences, but we want EVERYONE if possible. Please call the school at (217) 324-2851 and one of our secretaries can help arrange a conference if you do not have one yet and can help REMIND you of your conference time if you don't recall it. 😁

LES: Great things continue to happen at Litchfield Elementary School! Our students have been busy learning about safety through bus evacuation, fire, and our upcoming intruder drill. Our students enjoyed celebrating Fire Prevention Week with some of them attending a special lunch with our local firefighters and also a fire safety show-and-tell at the school for everyone. Ms. Kuehn, our Student Services Coordinator, has been visiting classrooms to provide valuable social-emotional learning (SEL) lessons. Students continue to enjoy trips to the public library. Our new Panther Pack leadership group is getting underway, giving 4th and 5th students an opportunity to take on leadership roles within our school. And finally, our 4th grade teachers have become Facebook famous with their creative attendance video! There's always something exciting happening at LES!

LMS: We began a new quarter on Monday, which means students have transitioned to new elective classes. We added several new elective options and made some staffing changes, and it has been great to see students enjoying their experiences and engaging in these opportunities.

We have completed our first round of MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports). Through collaboration and data analysis, teachers identified students who would benefit from additional support in specific areas of math and reading. These targeted interventions are designed to address individual learning needs and help students continue to grow academically.

Our recent staff development time has been very productive. Teachers have been analyzing student performance data, identifying areas of strength and opportunities for improvement, and collaborating to develop our School Improvement Plan. This work will help guide our instructional priorities and ensure our decisions are grounded in student needs.

We have conducted several safety drills recently, including fire and intruder drills. Our students have done an excellent job taking these drills seriously, following directions, and practicing the procedures that help keep everyone safe. While we hope we never need to use these procedures in a real emergency, preparation is essential.

We also held our first Principal’s Advisory Council meeting, with 11 parents in attendance. We had a productive discussion about ways families can be involved in the middle school and how we can strengthen the partnership between home and school. Our next meeting will be held in November, with a discussion focused on “What Does an Involved Middle School Parent Look Like?” All middle school parents are welcome to attend. Additional information about the date and time will be shared through Mr. Carty’s Sunday Announcements.

LHS: It has been an exciting and productive month at Litchfield high school! Student enthusiasm is running high as our Purple Rush: Pep Club begins planning upcoming events, starting with an October 28th Halloween dress-up day supporting our local food pantry, alongside organizing custom spirit themes for winter home sporting events and creating new social media content to push out to our families. Demonstrating true community spirit, Student Council recently hosted a successful charity Hat Day to raise funds for a local family in need. Meanwhile, our seniors and sophomores are preparing for major milestones following recent visits from Jostens regarding graduation items and class rings. On the academic and safety fronts, our Karen Cress, our School Counselor, successfully hosted two Saturdays for ACT and SAT testing for local area students, and our Litchfield Fire Department visited campus during Fire Prevention Week to conduct our annual drill. As we officially wrap up the first quarter, students and families can access student report cards in Skyward starting this Friday, October 23.

Grant & Funding Opportunities

• Building What’s Next Grant: The SCI Center has been selected as a finalist for the "Building What’s Next" grant and has been invited to submit a full application. The proposal requests $50,000 annually over three years to focus on program expansion and reducing barriers for participating students.

• Transportation Grant: The center and Macoupin County Public Transit and Central Illinois Public Transit are actively pursuing grant funding to provide transportation from their home schools to the SCI Center for students who currently lack reliable transportation, ensuring broader access to SCI programs.

New Business Partnerships

• Pattern Energy: Pattern Energy has partnered with the SCI Center as a Program Champion Sponsor and will participate in an upcoming check presentation at the facility.

Community & Student Engagement

• Promotional Videos: Filming has wrapped on a new series of SCI promotional videos produced by Mount Everett Cinematography. The videos are scheduled for release in December to assist with future student recruitment.

• Legislative Visits: State Representative Rosenthal and Senator McClure are scheduled to tour the facility in late October to learn more about the center's impact on regional education.

• Student Ambassadors: SCI Student Ambassadors recently met to discuss peer recruitment and student engagement. Moving forward, the ambassadors plan to focus efforts on outreach and social media initiatives targeting students across surrounding school districts.

SCI hosted our first Sophomore Open House - the idea for this came up at a family engagement night hosted by the district, as a way to get parents and guardians in to see the SCI Center. We had over 40 students and families attend the SCI Center. There were instructors and/or representatives from every pathway. Many parents were excited to see the facility and commented that they wished they had something like SCI when they were in school. The goal is to make the SCI Center more well known to all of the communities we serve, including Litchfield.

October is Principal Appreciation Month, and we want to recognize the individuals who help lead our schools each day! Thank you to our principals, Adam Favre, Paula Dal Canton, Chad Carty, and Hilary Wagenblast, along with Assistant Principal Joe Webb and Dean of Students Kim Carlile.

Our building leaders wear many hats throughout the day, and no two days are ever quite the same! From supporting students and staff to working with families and navigating the many challenges that come with leading a school, their work makes a difference. We appreciate their dedication, leadership, and commitment to making Litchfield CUSD #12 a great place for students to learn and staff to work.

Food Service:

Family life is wild enough—let us handle breakfast and lunch! Freeing yourself from meal prep saves budget dollars and one less task on the morning checklist.

Check out up-to-date menus on the FD Meal Planner app or by clicking the DINING button on our website/app.

Along with daily staples (salads, PB&J, deli sandwiches), we have daily hot choices. Menus can change a bit in advance, so Sunday evening is a great time to scroll the app with your kiddo and plan out the week! (If a last-minute swap happens day-of, don't worry—we'll help them choose at school.)

M.A.K.E.-I.T. PROGRAM

Our M.A.K.E.-I.T. program continues to provide fun and engaging learning opportunities for students before and after school! In September, students explored New Jersey, learned about the Revolutionary War, and celebrated National Comic Book Day by creating their own comic strips. The program currently serves 44 students, and we love seeing former participants return as volunteer student aides! A special thank you to Heroic Adventures in Edwardsville for donating comic books and goodies for our students!

UPCOMING DATES:

October 23 – LHS First Quarter Report Cards Available Electronically

October 28 – Early Dismissal – Elementary 1:15 PM; Middle/High School 1:30 PM

October 28 – Parent-Teacher Conferences – 4:00–7:00 PM

October 28 – LHS FAFSA Assistance – 4:00–6:30 PM

October 28 – LHS Weighted Grades Information Session – 5:30–6:00 PM

October 28 – LHS Winter Extracurricular Code Meeting – 6:00 PM

October 29 – Early Dismissal – Elementary 1:15 PM; Middle/High School 1:30 PM

October 29 – Parent-Teacher Conferences – 4:00–7:00 PM

October 30 – No School

Strategic Planning – Moving Our Plan into Action

As we continue implementing our district's strategic plan, we are beginning to see how our goals are taking shape within each of our schools. At this month's Board of Education meeting, our building administrators shared their 90-day strategic action plans, highlighting specific goals and steps they are taking to support teaching and learning, strengthen school culture, and build relationships with families and our community. While each building has its own needs and priorities, the work is connected to our larger district goals. These plans will help us stay focused on improvements while also allowing us to monitor progress throughout the year.

Our Litchfield High School Leadership Team also presented information on the possibility of reintroducing a weighted grading scale. This discussion connects directly to our strategic goal of Teaching & Learning as we continue to examine practices that support student achievement, recognize academic rigor, and provide opportunities for students to be successful. No decisions have been made at this time, but these conversations are an important part of evaluating our current practices and determining what is best for our students.

As we move forward, our focus is on making sure the goals we established through the strategic planning process are reflected in the work happening throughout our district. We know improvements take time, and we will continue reviewing our progress, making adjustments when needed, and keeping our students at the center of our decisions.

Strategic Planning: Family Engagement Committee

Our next Family Engagement Committee meeting will be held on January 20 at 5:30 p.m.

If you are interested in joining the committee or learning more, please email jthompson@litchfieldpanthers.org.

Bills payable for October 2026 total $470,013.84.

• Education Fund: $318,372.50

  • Of this total, $12,617.62 is payable for SCI.

• Operations & Maintenance: $62,787.47

• Transportation: $23,584.26

• Capital Projects: $54,879.76

• Tort: $9,816.50

Treasurer's Report

• Ending balance in all funds at September 30, 2026 is $22,798,284.48
• Balance in operating funds is $19,474,647.40
• Balance in Capital Projects is $859,923.79

Consent Agenda

The Board approved updates to High School Activity Accounts, minutes from the September 17, 2026 meeting, deletion of eligible closed session recordings from September and October 2024, monthly bills for LCUSD #12 and the SCI Regional Workforce Training and Innovation Center, and the Treasurer's Report.

FY26 Financial Audit

The Board approved the annual financial audits for LCUSD #12 and the SCI Regional Workforce Training and Innovation Center for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2026. The district received an unmodified audit opinion under the cash basis of accounting used by the district rather than the accrual basis. This is a common accounting practice among Illinois school districts. There were no reported material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in our internal controls.

One finding was identified related to expenditures exceeding the budget in the IMRF/Social Security Fund by approximately $18,700. This was not an issue of insufficient cash, as the fund ended the year with a positive balance of approximately $206,000. We are reviewing how grant revenues and related benefit expenses are accounted for between funds to ensure greater accuracy moving forward.

We have also experienced several transitions in our business office since March, which have presented some challenges but have also provided opportunities to review and improve our procedures. Our focus continues to be on strengthening budget monitoring, improving financial reporting, and maintaining the district's financial stability.

School Maintenance Project Grant

The Board approved authorization for the district to apply for the School Maintenance Project Grant and identify the required local matching funds. We are currently working with FGMa to identify potential projects, including tuckpointing, ceiling tile replacement, and carpet replacement at Litchfield High School. This grant would provide an opportunity to address additional facility needs while utilizing available state funding.

Blackburn College Partnership

The Board approved an agreement with Blackburn College to allow student teachers and practicum students to complete placements within our district. These partnerships provide valuable experiences for future educators while allowing us to support the development of new teachers and build relationships with potential future employees.

Hires

• Casey Logsdon, Business Manager, beginning October 21, 2026.

• Mark Moore, Substitute Custodian and Bus Driver, upon completion of proper certification and training.

• Eric Weeks, Substitute Bus Driver, upon completion of proper certification and training.

• Nick Todt, Assistant Boys Basketball Coach, effective immediately.

• Audra Plummer, Assistant High School Scholastic Bowl Coach, beginning with the 2026–2027 school year.

Transfers

• Zac Lockinhart, from Assistant Middle School Wrestling Coach to Volunteer Coach, beginning with the 2026–2027 school year.

• Kim Frerichs-Casey from Middle School Custodian to LES Paraprofessional effective October 26, 2026.

Resignations

• Danielle Varner, Paraprofessional, effective September 28, 2026.

• Jennifer Wall, Business Manager, effective October 7, 2026.

Payroll Adjustments

• Benjamin Walker and Emily Parish, Make It Program Aides, hourly pay increase effective October 21, 2026.

Family Medical Leave (FMLA)

• Approved 7 Family Medical Leave requests.

The district received a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from Catarina Mascarenhas on behalf of Prairie State Wire and several affiliated organizations. The request seeks records from January 2024 through the request date concerning FOIA officer compensation, any payments related to FOIA legislation or lobbying, and communications with outside parties regarding FOIA policies or lobbying activities. The District responded to the request in accordance with the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.