BOE Monthly Meeting Summary

The Litchfield Community Unit School District #12 Board of Education met on Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at the SCI 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.

🎉 Student Recognitions

Citizens' Agenda Honorees

• Betz Madison
• Binney Justice
• Buzick Emily
• Caile Savannah
• Cobix Cheyenne
• Cox Kathryn
• Essington Eva
• Estel Maya
• Frerichs Alli
• Gruelle Lydia
• Harmon McKenna
• Hoover Kilee
• Law Chloe
• Law Kyndal
• Melchert Adia
• Melchert Mataya
• Reid Lynzie
• Reyes Charlotte
• Rogers Hallie
• Schmitz Zoei
• Stewart Avery
• Vazzi Mel
• Weidner Emma

🏃‍♀️ Girls Track State Qualifiers

• Lana Cress
• Brooke Braasch
• Leighton Warchol
• Maggie Schwab
• Ava White
• Kilee Hoover
• Harley Foulk
• Jada Carroll

🏃‍♂️ Boys Track State Qualifiers

• Andrew Boston
• Johnathon Bowles
• Alec Roach
• Lukas Paine
• Jaxon Ray
• Brylan Martin

Congratulations to all of our students on these outstanding accomplishments! We are incredibly proud of your hard work, dedication, and the way you represent Purple Panther Nation. Keep up the great work!

TAKE NOTE: The 2026-2027 meeting with the HIGH SCHOOL parents will occur during our open house on Wednesday, August 5th at 7pm.

Extracurricular Participation forms are now available online through Skyward. This information can be found on your main page (unread messages). The extracurricular form will only need to be filled out 1 time per school year prior to the start of your first sport/activity. If you have any questions please contact Middle School AD: Drew Logan dlogan@litchfieldpanthers.org or High School AD: Joe Webb jwebb@litchfieldpanthers.org. A BIG THANK YOU to Mrs. Jennifer Thompson for helping to get all of this set up digitally for our families!

ENJOY SUMMER BREAK! We will see everyone back on the 12th of August for the 1st day of School!

✏️ Elementary School Supplies Provided for All PreK–5 Students!

We are excited to share some wonderful news for our elementary families! Thanks to the incredible generosity and dedication of the Litchfield PTO, all school supplies for PreK through 5th grade students will be provided for the 2026-2027 school year.

This achievement was made possible through the PTO's outstanding fundraising efforts, a generous grant from the Kilton Foundation, and donations from our local Dollar Tree. Even more impressive, the PTO will continue supporting many of the programs our students and teachers have come to appreciate, including field trips, classroom and teacher needs, reward celebrations, and principal requests.

We are incredibly grateful to the Litchfield PTO, the Kilton Foundation, Dollar Tree, and everyone who has supported their fundraising efforts. Your generosity will make a meaningful difference for our students and families as we begin another great school year. Thank you for investing in Purple Panther Nation!

Registration Update

Online registration is open until July 31st. Parents can log on to Family Access. If parents need password assistance, please contact Abe Loveless (aloveless@litchfieldpanthers.org) or Jennifer Thompson (jthompson@litchfieldpanthers.org). As a reminder, registration can NOT be completed through the app; it needs to be done through the website. For families that do not have a computer, we will have a few devices available at each school. Please make arrangements once the buildings reopen on Monday, July 27th.

NEW STUDENTS, please contact the school your child will attend when the buildings open after July 27, 2026.

Upcoming Dates

• August 5 – LHS Panther Prep Night (4:00–8:00 PM)
• August 10–11 – Professional Development Days (No Student Attendance)
• August 11 – Meet the Teacher Night
  • Grades 1–5: 5:30–6:30 PM
  • Grades 6–8: 6:00–7:00 PM
• August 12–14 – First Week of School (Early Dismissal at 1:15/1:30 PM)
• September 7 – Labor Day (No School)
• September 25 – School Improvement/Professional Development Afternoon (Early Dismissal at 12:00/12:15 PM)

Plan in Action: Facilities & Grounds

One of the priorities identified in our District Strategic Plan is maintaining safe, welcoming, and well-maintained facilities that support student learning. Throughout the summer, our team has made tremendous progress on a number of improvement projects across the district.

Recent work has included sealcoating and restriping parking lots, replacing flooring in several areas of Litchfield High School, completing the nearly finished Litchfield Middle School entryway project, repairing roofing, gutters, windows, and exterior building components, upgrading lighting, and completing deep cleaning and floor refinishing in every district building. Additional improvements have enhanced campus safety and visibility, including new exterior lighting beneath the stadium bleachers.

Looking ahead, the team will continue making infrastructure improvements by upgrading lighting, addressing plumbing repairs at the middle school, beginning a district-wide equipment inventory, and starting the necessary building modifications at the Unit Office to meet Health/Life Safety requirements.

Bills Payable for July 2026 Total: $753,690.64

• Education Fund: $523,074.65 -- $19,480.78 from SCI
• Operations & Maintenance Fund: $84,345.34
• Transportation Fund: $3,939.41
• Capital Projects Fund: $81,158.99
• Tort Immunity & Judgment Fund: $61,172.25

Treasurer’s Report -

Ending balance in all funds at June 30, 2026 is $18,260,620

Balance in operating funds is $15,500,454

Balance in Capital Projects is $1,691,687

SCI Center Budget Approved

The Board approved the FY2026-2027 budget for the South Central Illinois Regional Workforce Training and Innovation Center. This annual budget provides the financial framework for the upcoming school year and supports the continued growth of career and technical education opportunities for students throughout the region. Thank you to Mr. Stokes for his outstanding work transitioning into his new role and preparing the budget for timely submission to the Illinois State Board of Education.

Annual Transfer of Funds

The Board approved the annual transfer of funds from the Capital Projects Fund to the Debt Service Fund. This is a routine financial process completed each year to ensure the District meets its debt payment obligations and does not represent any new spending.

Artificial Intelligence Guide Adopted

The Board approved the District's first Artificial Intelligence (AI) Guide for students and staff. The guide provides expectations for the responsible use of AI while supporting teaching and learning in our classrooms. Because AI technology continues to evolve rapidly, this document will be updated over time as new guidance becomes available from the Illinois State Board of Education and as the District continues exploring best practices.

Title IX Coordinator Appointed

The Board appointed Mrs. Paula Dal Canton as the District's Title IX Coordinator. This change aligns with current legal guidance and best practices by separating the Title IX Coordinator role from the Superintendent. Mrs. Dal Canton will complete the required training and oversee the District's Title IX compliance efforts.

MISSVIC Board Appointment

The Board appointed Business Manager Jennifer Wall as the District's alternate representative to the Mississippi Valley Employee Benefits and Property Casualty Intergovernmental Cooperative Board of Directors. This appointment reflects the transition to the District's new Business Manager and ensures continued representation within the cooperative.

Parent & Family Engagement Policy

The Board approved the District's updated Parent and Family Engagement Policy. Developed through the District's federal Title programming, the policy strengthens partnerships between schools and families while supporting one of the key goals identified in the District's Strategic Plan to increase communication and family engagement.

Behavioral Services Continue

The Board approved renewing its agreement with Emergent Learning Centers to continue providing Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) services during the 2026-2027 school year. These services support students, staff, and families by providing behavioral consultation, intervention planning, and professional coaching throughout the District.

Unit Office Sprinkler Project Begins

The Board approved the next steps toward installing a sprinkler system at the District Unit Office by authorizing FGM Architects to begin the bidding process and approving the design proposal. This project is required to bring the building into compliance with current fire safety codes and is an important investment in the long-term use of the facility.

Extracurricular Handbooks Updated

The Board approved annual updates to the Middle School and High School Extracurricular and Athletic Handbooks. These handbooks provide guidance and expectations for students, coaches, sponsors, and families participating in extracurricular activities. The District also continues working toward expanding these resources to support all extracurricular programs—not just athletics.

Updated student handbooks will be presented for approval in August following the release of new state requirements.

Boys Soccer Cooperative Expanded

The Board approved expanding its successful partnership with Mt. Olive School District to include a boys soccer cooperative. The agreement will allow a small number of Mt. Olive students to participate alongside Litchfield student-athletes while maintaining the District's current IHSA classification. This partnership provides additional opportunities for students and helps strengthen the program for both schools.

Hires

1. Grace Van Lasko, Paraprofessional for the LES Life Skills classroom beginning the 2026-2027 school year.

2. Mya Blevins, Paraprofessional for the LHS Life Skills classroom beginning the 2026-2027 school year.

3. Abby Carter as Middle School Secretary beginning July 27, 2026.

4. Jessica Vickery, Paraprofessional for the LMS Life Skills classroom beginning the 2026-2027 school year.

5. Gregg Hires as Head Baseball Coach for the 2026-2027 school year.

Position Changes

1. Kristi Hamm placed in the 4th Grade Paraprofessional position beginning the 2026-2027 school year.

2. Amanda Peebles transferred from the High School Life Skills classroom to the LECC Kindergarten & First Grade Transition Classroom as a Special Education Teacher beginning the 2026-2027 school year.

Volunteer Coach

1. Abbe Kuehn approved as a Volunteer High School Cheer Coach for the 2026-2027 school year.

Resignations

1. Bailey Schmidt, Paraprofessional, effective July 8, 2026.

2. Shea Murray Lentz, LMS Math Teacher, effective July 14, 2026.

Since the last Board meeting, we have received seven additional Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests from organizations seeking information about vendors, contracts, and purchasing records. In most cases, we do not utilize the vendors referenced in these requests. When applicable, we provide the requested public records, including contract information and expenditures, in accordance with Illinois FOIA requirements.

We also fulfilled a request for all purchase orders dating back to 2022.

Last, we received a FOIA request seeking information related to our facilities and infrastructure, including utility usage, facility assessments, maintenance plans, and capital improvement records. In response, we provided available utility records along with our Capital Needs Assessment, which is submitted to the Illinois State Board of Education.