Sunday, July 29, 2012
John Troy, Mokena District 159 board member since 2009 and current board president, resigned effective Monday, July 23. Troy plans to apply for the district's open business manager role. Vice President Patrick Markham has stepped up as president.
John Troy, President of the Mokena School District 159 Board of Education, resigned Monday, July 23. The resignation comes just two weeks after Troy voiced his interest in the district's vacant business manager position. “I am resigning my position on the Mokena Elementary School District Board of Education effective today [July 23]. Concurrent with my resignation I am submitting my application for the school district business manager position,” Troy's letter read. Meanwhile, vice president Patrick Markham assumed Troy's duties. Markham, who has served on the board since 2011, told Patch he assumed the president role on July 23. Later that day, he was also sworn in as Frankfort Township Collector. The Township reached out to Markham about …
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Mokena District 159 has made progress on inching closer to the black—but still has a ways to go.
Mokena School District 159 is inching closer to being in the black, after frugal spending within the District in 2012. The district posted a $110,000 deficit—a significant improvement on the $1 million deficit in the previous fiscal year. District Superintendent Steve Stein said several factors contributed to the shrinking deficit, including: “We did solve our issues with the teacher's contract and the teachers did agree to a freeze, that certainly was a big part of helping to put us on that path,” Stein said, adding, “I think there was still a ratcheting down by staff, at all levels, to not spend money. I think there are a number of things that go into [the lower deficit.]” He also added that unlike in previous years, there was no …
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Patrick Markham became president of the D159 Board of Education July 23, following the resignation of John Troy. Markham also accepted the role of Frankfort Township Collector on the same day.
Following the resignation of District 159 board president John Troy, vice president Patrick Markham has stepped into the role. Markham, who has served on the board since 2011, told Patch he assumed the president role on July 23. Later that day, he was also sworn in as Frankfort Township Collector. The Township reached out to Markham about the position, he said. Markham hopes to instill the same sense of fiscal responsibility within the Township that he has brought to District 159. Markham said that he would like instill a sense of community involvement within the township as soon as possible, while also being able to continue to serve the District 159 community. “My efforts on the school board, to date, have simply been to be the best …
Monday, July 23, 2012
The District 159 Board of Education approved the bid from Performance Chemical, to the tune of nearly $11,000, for a new Envirox Dilution Control system, for schools in the district.
The schools within Mokena School District 159 are about to get a little bit cleaner this year, thanks to a new custodial dilution control chemical system. The system, called Envirox Dilution Control, can be used to clean glass, grout, kitchen surfaces, floors and any number of other items within the school. At its July 18 meeting, the District 159 Board of Education approved a bid from Performance Chemical to supply the district with the system, supplies and product for the system at a cost of $10,962.10. There was only one other bid for the project, from Lymander Building Services, Inc, which was substantially more than Performance's bid. “The lowest bid is the best for the district,” said board member Patrick Markham. “Whatever is lowest…
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Patch takes a look at what's in store for the Mokena School District 159 Board of Education meeting at Mokena Elementary School at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 18.
Following a campaign by parent Heidi Yergler Herrmann urging District 159 to reevaluate its bullying policy, the board agreed to delve deeper into the issue during its July 18 meeting. Board Vice President Patrick Markham went so far as to call for a voting show of support by board members to signify how important the issue is to the board. In an email to Patch, Markham said he will be seek to discuss not only the policy, but also the possibility of a “capture form,” for the district—a webpage or hard copy form for students to detail encounters with bullying. Also on the agenda are two new hires within the district—one a special education teacher, the other a transfer of a building aide to the role of attendance secretary at Mokena …
Friday, June 22, 2012
District 159 preapproved payment of bills for the final two weeks of the current fiscal year, although there was some discussion about what is being preapproved for payment. Board members stressed "nothing out of the ordinary," be approved.
As the fiscal year comes to a close in Mokena School District 159, bills will still need to be paid. With that in mind, the Board of Education preapproved the payment of bills for the remainder of the year—but with a few caveats. During discussion on preapproving payment of the upcoming bills, acting Board President Patrick Markham made it a point to stress that the board was approving only normal bills, and nothing “out of the ordinary.” The decision covers typical district expenditures, including employee payroll and utilities. The board's meeting schedule prevents discussion of any pending bills at a later date prior to the end of the fiscal year. While the board discussed the matter, board member Mike Ford said that there was no need…
41.531945
-87.890205
Mokena Public School District 159
11244 Willow Crest Ln, Mokena, IL
/articles/d159-board-oks-end-of-the-year-bills-with-more-oversight-than-previous-years
325913
/locations/7298588
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Following a campaign by D159 parent Heidi Yergler Herrmann, the D159 Board of Education places a review of the district's bullying policy on its July 18 meeting agenda.
Heidi Yergler Hermann got her wish—sort of. After weeks of campaigning to step in front of the Mokena School District 159 Board of Education, Hermann was heard at the Wednesday, June 20, meeting of the board. Hermann, whose fourth-grade daughter was bullied for much of the previous school year, recently started a Facebook group to battle bullying throughout District 159. “I think the parents, the community presence really helped me make my point,” Yergler Hermann said. “I really do feel that things are going to change for the better.” Although Superintendent Steve Stein and Board President John Troy were absent from the meeting, Herrmann said that just getting some time before the board was good. Even better, she said, is that the board …
41.531945
-87.890205
Mokena Elementary School
11244 Willow Crest Ln, Mokena, IL
/articles/district-159-ready-to-review-bullying-policy
1374295
/locations/7282776
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Board President John Troy is reelected, while Patrick Markham and Mike Ford both secure new positions within the board.
The Mokena School District 159 Board of Education has a new leadership structure following a series of votes by board members at the April 18 meeting. Board members voted on the positions of president, vice president and secretary, with some members nominating their peers and one board member turning down a nomination. Before the vote, Superintendent Steve Stein assumed the role of president pro-temp to oversee the election of board president. Stein read over the rules for the election before opening the floor to nominations. For board president, Kathy Moore nominated Joe Spalla, while Mike Ford nominated John Troy, who was the board president for the past year. When put to a vote, Troy earned the nomination with a 4-3 vote, garnering …
41.531945
-87.890205
Mokena Elementary School
11244 Willow Crest Ln, Mokena, IL
/articles/district-159-board-elects-new-vp-new-secretary-reelects-president
1374295
/locations/6849248
Friday, April 20, 2012
While discussing possible new meeting dates for the coming year, District 159 Board of Education members traded verbal blows. Much to the dismay of one board member, meetings will soon take place Wednesdays.
It wasn't quite a war of words at the Mokena School District 159 Board of Education meeting, but there were definitely some tense moments between members when discussing the possible switch of meeting dates for the coming year. The contentious atmosphere moved one board member to tears. Late in the nearly four-hour board meeting, members voted to change meeting dates and to form a Committee of the Whole, which will meet once a month and encompass all of the board's various committees into one larger group. Both groups will meet once a month, on separate Wednesdays. “I think it would behoove the board to spend more time together as a board, rather than less time,” said board president John Troy. “It would also have the benefit of the board…
41.531945
-87.890205
Mokena Elementary School
11244 Willow Crest Ln, Mokena, IL
/articles/district-159-gets-heated-as-new-meeting-schedule-approved
1374295
/locations/6840902
During the District 159 Board of Education meeting April 18, the board tabled a vote on transportation fees for the 2012-13 school year.
Before the Mokena District 159 Board of Education spiraled into an extended argument over when to hold meetings, the members took a look at after-school transportation fees for after-school activities during the 2012-13. Board member Patrick Markham made the motion to table the vote on transportation fees, to allow time to further review the fee structure. “I'd like to make an amendment motion to separate out the transportation fees for further analysis, and recommend the approval of the fees for the 2012–13 school year otherwise as presented,” Markham said. By tabling the vote on transportation fees, the board pushed back even further locking down the cost for students to ride the bus for the coming year. Currently, the district has …
41.531945
-87.890205
Mokena Elementary School
11244 Willow Crest Ln, Mokena, IL
/articles/transportation-fees-still-up-in-the-air-for-district-159
1374295
/locations/6840880
IIA Alumni
10:05 pm on Sunday, July 29, 2012
No backroom deals, huh? Troy: Hey Markham, I'll give up my seat as president so long as you give me the position of Director of Business Operations and a bump in salary. Markham: Ok, sounds good to me. Sounds like a backroom deal to me. D159 School Board, please prove me wrong and tell me this was not part of some backroom deal. Please explain and justify the administrations pay increases. … more ›