Kiana L. Battle

The meeting commenced with a closed session for self-evaluation, practices, and procedures. Discussions in the open session focused heavily on the Facilities Master Plan and a potential referendum, including funding levels (low at $100 million vs. mid-range at $130 million) and community feedback analysis, with a vote on the master plan scheduled for February. The Board authorized a formal assessment of a property in Orland Park to potentially serve as a public safety center, to be funded either by the referendum or college reserves. Legislative priorities were reviewed, covering federal issues like the Higher Education Act reauthorization, Pell Grants, and immigration concerns, as well as state issues such as the Monetary Award Program and a proposed statewide manufacturing curriculum. Furthermore, the Board discussed the potential need for, selection process, and objectives of hiring a lobbyist for state or federal representation. The Board also addressed compliance risks related to federal guidance by reviewing necessary revisions to the strategic plan to remove Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) language, noting that DEI-related work could be integrated into other priorities.

The meeting convened with the Pledge of Allegiance and call to order. The primary discussion topic was the Public Hearing on the Tax Levy, where the vice president of Financial and Business Services/college treasurer provided an overview of the proposed tax levy, noting that the figures were unchanged since the previous Board meeting in November. No questions were raised by Board members, and there was no audience participation.

The agenda for the meeting included standard items such as roll call, review of unapproved minutes from previous meetings (Public Hearing on Tax Levy, Regular Meeting, and Special Meeting/Board Retreat), and audience participation. Key discussion areas involved Board Reports including the Student Trustee Report and an update on the ACCT National Legislative Summit. The administration's reports highlighted a student technology award recipient and college updates from the President. Financial statements for December 2025 and January 2026 were presented. The consent agenda covered approval of Account Expenditure Summaries and various fund expenditures for December 2025 and January 2026. Personnel actions involved tenure contracts, part-time staffing, salary revisions, leaves of absence, retirements, and reclassifications. New Business included several Affiliation Agreements for the Emergency Medical Services Program and Fire Science programs with various fire departments, as well as agreements for Sleep Technology. Other new business items were related to infrastructure purchases, LED lighting replacement bids, and approvals for the Facilities Master Plan and the Updated 2025-2030 Strategic Plan. The agenda also included a planned Closed Session to discuss real property acquisition and general discussions on a referendum and lobbyist selection.

The Committee of the Whole meeting focused primarily on reviewing and discussing several Board Policies, including Records Management (3100), Community and Governmental Relations (3300), Academic Calendar (5100), Programs of Study, Degrees, and Certificates (5210), Program Review (5300), Assessment of Student Learning (5310), Library (5500), and Policy and Bylaw Development (2800). Discussions surrounding Board Policy 2800 involved significant debate regarding a proposed mechanism allowing four Trustees to place an item on the agenda without the Chair's agreement, with some Trustees expressing concerns about a lack of responsiveness from leadership regarding requests for information and procedural clarity. Clarifications were sought on whether Trustees write policies, which was definitively answered as no by administration. The Board confirmed that the policies discussed would move forward for a vote at the regular Board meeting in December.

The agenda for this meeting, held immediately following the public hearing on the Tax Levy, included several key items. Administration reports featured a presentation honoring Susan Tuxford for her retirement and the President's Report, which covered the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting, the Annual Grants Report, and a community engagement presentation. Significant new business involved the approval of two new certificate programs in Digital Art/Design, several capital equipment purchases including bench brake lathes, industrial robots, firefighting gear, and an X-Ray machine, and actions related to the adoption of resolutions setting forth tax levies for 2025. Personnel reports covered employment actions, grant-funded renewals, resignations, retirements, and salary revisions. The Board also addressed policy updates and the renewal of the President's contract.