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BOE transcripts: BDC travel a concern

Posted June 23, 2016 11:00 pm

By Pete Spitler Staff Writer

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following information and quotes featured below are being reported by the newspaper as an indication of the information released to the media and made available to the public by the Chester District 139 Board of Education. To view the entire transcript click HERE

Taking into account pages of redacted conversations, the Chester District 139 Board of Education spent roughly half its combined executive session time during its January and February meetings having discussions that should not have been made behind closed doors.

Transcripts of those discussions - released to media and the public by Interim District Superintendent Rick Goodman after the board's June 16 meeting due to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from the Herald Tribune and County Journal - reflect a board with members occasionally at odds with each other over switching athletic conferences, how to handle the district's financial problems in terms of staff and class cuts, and switching from a block schedule to a traditional seven-class schedule at Chester High School.

The transcripts, reportedly compiled by Kathleen A. Yager, contain some blacked-out portions allegedly to indicate topics properly discussed under executive session rules.

The athletic conference discussion itself spans nearly all of 35 pages, refuting a previous claim by Goodman that the topic was only discussed "briefly."

In a disclaimer accompanying transcripts from both meetings, Yager alleges that due to the quality of the recorded media, "some portions were unable to be transcribed" and since she was not present at the time of the recording "this transcript should not be considered verbatim."

Most of those speaking in executive session are not identified - only designated "unidentified male" or "unidentified female" - but the exception is Chester High School Principal Dr. Sarah Gass, who for an unknown reason, is identified extensively in the Jan. 21 transcript.

District Secretary Sheri Coughlin is listed as the "recording secretary" for the Jan. 21 meeting, while Gass is listed in the same role for the Feb. 18 meeting.

Other names of district employees are identified at the start of each executive session and/or referenced later on.

In its June 1 FOIA request, the Herald Tribune asked for access to the portions of the recordings themselves deemed to be in violation by the PAB - for clarification and accuracy for newsgathering purposes - but was denied.

"Please note that the audiotapes could not be modified to redact the confidential communications held in closed session," Goodman wrote in a letter included with the transcripts that is addressed to "whom it may concern." "Therefore, the Board of Education is complying with the Public Access Counselor's non-binding decision and recommendations by releasing a transcript of January 21, 2016 and February 18, 2016 closed session meetings."

Public Access Bureau Chief Sarah L. Pratt recommended the board release the disputed portions of the recordings after the PAB - which is part of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office - determined on May 20 that the school board violated the Open Meetings Act during both its Jan. 21 and Feb. 18 meetings by discussing topics in executive (closed) session that were not eligible to be closed to the public under the law.

The board has not acknowledged any wrongdoing.

"It just affirms for me that we need to focus some more training for our school boards and to reaffirm the best practices and legal practices of our school boards," said Monroe-Randolph Regional Superintendent of Schools Kelton Davis, who said he was aware of the PAB's determination on the OMA inquiry.

Other topics, in addition to switching athletic conferences, discussed in the Jan. 21 executive session included fallout from the board's superintendent search involving Tony Whiston and Kevin Blankenship, a CHS boys basketball game against Perryville last season, replacing the dirt on W.O. Smith Field and roof repairs on school buildings.

The PAB ruled that none of that was eligible to be discussed in closed session under the listed agenda item for the executive session - "To discuss the appointment, employment, compensation, discipline, performance or dismissal of specific employees of the public body."

Davis said he is the secretary on several boards and that meeting documentation has to be very explicit and "stick with those agendas."

"I know, in those board meetings we've had, any moments of potential stray, we will self-correct," he said.

During the closed session portion of the Jan. 21 meeting, the board members reportedly expressed discontent regarding the declining amount of underclass (junior varsity and freshman) teams being fielded by Black Diamond Conference schools, as well as the level of competition and professionalism of the BDC itself.

"The facilities are not exactly up to par," Gass is reported as saying. "There has been question(s) about the future of the Black Diamond Conference in co-op schools.

"A lot of our schools do not have the lower level teams and then some of the professionalism, we just said, is not as high as some of the other conferences in the (inaudible)."

At the time, the Chester BOE was entertaining invitations to join the Cahokia Conference or return to the Southern Illinois River-to-River Conference.

After the SIRR's invitation fell through when Red Bud decided to remain in the Cahokia, the Chester board ultimately voted to remain in the BDC during its February meeting.

The BDC, in a later portion of the discussion about Chester's previous athletic history as a member of the Southern Illinois River-to-River Conference, was also reportedly said to contain some "joke" teams.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "...why we moved, so that's why I said, I don't think there is any question about the River-to-River, the question is Cahokia or Black Diamond."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "See I disagree. I think we need to look more hard at the River-to-River."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Why do you want to go back and lose? Why do you want to go back to this last page and lose?"

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "That's in the past."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Well, all the past is…"

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Our programs have gotten a lot better across the board. Basketball, boy's basketball has gotten a lot better."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "I think you're silly to say, I'm going to go from winning seasons to losing seasons because that is exactly what will happen."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "And we are playing a lot of teams that are real joke teams too in the River-to-River or I mean Black Diamond."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Well and we were the joke team when we were in the River-to-River."

At one point during the discussion, Gass noted that the CHS coaches were asked if they were interested in leaving the BDC.

"...and all but one said yes, and the one that did not say yes, said 'I could go either way. I wouldn't be upset if we left the Black Diamond Conference, but if we stay, I'm okay,'" Gass said.

"So that's kind of where we are at."

Gass noted that the Cahokia had extended invitations to Nashville, Pinckneyville, Salem and Chester. Salem accepted its invitation the day of Chester's meeting.

In regard to the SIRR, board members expressed concern about the SIRR's requirement that Red Bud must make the switch with Chester and that a mandatory crossover game from the other side of the conference would be included in the football schedule.

The deadline for the board to make a decision on either of the invitations was March 1.

"There is a mandatory crossover with a team from the other side of the conference," Gass said. "(The SIRR) will not tell us what the mandatory crossover is and once it is decided it will last for four years.

"The conference will decide what the crossover team is."

After an inaudible portion of audio, a male voice said, "I smell fish on that whole deal right there…"

The board members discussed the travel difference in the 10-team, closed-conference BDC compared to the other conferences, before conversation returned to the crossover game requirement.

"Well, that works really nice for the Ohio side, they are playing smaller teams," a male voice said. "We are now still the smallest one there and now you're going to make us play the bigger side, mandate it."

Later, Gass said that board member Troy Clendenin had showed her a history of how Chester did in the River-to-River prior to making the switch to the BDC in 2010.

A male voice then states that the percentages being presented to the board were win percentages.

"I was, to be honest with you, a little surprised at some of the numbers when I actually started putting them together, how well the River-to-River -- I didn't realize that we didn't win a single softball game in five years in a conference, and we only won three boys basketball, three girls basketball and four baseball games in five years in our conference," the voice said.

A male voice later added, given that information, he didn't know why someone would even entertain returning to the River-to-River.

"Because obviously, we weren't very competitive in that," the voice said.

It was reportedly stated during discussion that people who want Chester to play in the SIRR "are simply wanting to relive their past."

"...and to me, it wasn't about the public reliving their past," a male voice said. "It was about letting our kids (be) in a competitive sport across the board."

According to the transcripts, CHS Athletic Director Mike Coffey - who was present for the meeting and remained in the room when media exited for executive session - was later asked for his input on the conference discussion.

"My concern long-term with the Black Diamond is there is some coal-mining belt there," he reportedly said. "There is a lot of instability with the schools, the co-ops. I think Carmi is fine, Fairfield is fine, Eldorado is fine.

"The only problem is all are on the other side of the state."

The board then discussed the lack of a close conference rival in the BDC with the exception of Trico, which does not have a football program.

"So, I think the problem with the Black Diamond is that we don't have the close rival thirty, forty miles away like we have had in the past," a male voice said. "It's a ten-team conference -- see we've played Sparta and Red Bud, taking those two out.

"Every sport except football."

The board then discusses concerns that the Cahokia Conference will become similar to the Black Diamond with a closed conference for football and all other sports in a different kind of conference.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Cahokia is not going to help you any on those sports and on football, you're back to being the smallest one in the group by far on a couple of those teams."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "Yeah, but like I said that does not bother me as far as football goes."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "You want to play Salem at seven hundred and drive there? How far is Salem? It's got to be two hours."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: "An hour and a half, two hours. It's closer than Flora."

Gass later mentions that she had heard "a lot of positive things" about the conference discussion and felt that the Cahokia Conference was the most straightforward with Chester during the process.

"I personally, the River-to-River was kind of more secret meetings, okay now we are going to get you your plan," she said. "You know, now we are going to stipulate this and there is a lot of more conversations going back and forth, we are going to do this, we aren't going to do this.

"Cahokia has been very straightforward, here's the letter, here is exactly what we are going to do."

Gass later states that she felt Chester had a "fair chance" with Cahokia, while the SIRR "was a little bit more of their need."

Before ending its discussion, the board seems to acknowledge the tone of the conversation.

"Okay. All right, how many more controversial subjects are we going to address?" a male voice said.

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