Meeting Summary and Briefs: Mokena School District 159 for February 18, 2026

Mokena School District 159 Meeting | February 18, 2026

The Mokena School District 159 Board of Education met on Wednesday, February 18, 2026, to address a variety of academic and operational items. The meeting featured extensive presentations on School Improvement Plans from all three buildings, highlighting progress in writing and math curriculums. The Board also moved forward with significant capital projects for the summer of 2026, approving a roofing project estimated at over $850,000 and a flooring package estimated at over $180,000.

The meeting began with a “Student Spotlight” featuring first-grade students who shared riddles they wrote about school service jobs as part of their social studies curriculum. The Board also engaged in discussions regarding board procedures, specifically the formatting of minutes and the sharing of information regarding monthly bills.

Yearbook Sponsor Stipends Increased
The Board approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) regarding the modification of Schedule B of the collective bargaining agreement. The MOU increases the number of yearbook stipends from one per school to two per school. According to Superintendent Robert Gurney, the change was necessary due to “a change in practice with the photography company,” which caused the time spent on the yearbook to far exceed the original allotment of hours for a Tier 4 activity. The cost for the three additional stipends totals $3,600.

Draft School Calendar Presented
Superintendent Robert Gurney presented a draft of the 2026-2027 school calendar for information. Key features of the proposed calendar include a start date of August 19, offering two days for parent/teacher conferences, and giving teachers the entire week of Thanksgiving off. The calendar aims to align with Lincoln-Way District 210 where possible. The calendar will be presented for a formal vote in March.

Personnel Changes
The Board approved the Personnel Report, which included the resignation of Nicole Goodkind (Administrative Assistant I at MES) effective February 27, 2026. The Board also approved the hiring of Tina Dinaso-Hoffmann as a Food Server at MJHS at a rate of $16.01 per hour, and approved Andrea Vaughn as a substitute teacher/para. A request to revise the Effective Date for Tina Coltri-Smiles was also approved.

Finance Committee Update
Board Member Samantha Tunney reported that the Finance Committee will meet on March 9, 2026. The agenda will cover five-year financial projections, the Fund 21 report, the capital plan, student fees, and updates from the architect and engineers. Ten applicants have applied for the two open community seats on the committee and will be invited to the meeting.

Closed Session Minutes Review
Following a semi-annual review by the Closed Session Minute Review Committee (Members Briscoe, Zielinski, and Lynn), the Board voted to open the closed session minutes from January 20, 2021, and December 15, 2021. The Board also voted to permanently close several sets of minutes from 2021. Additionally, the Board authorized the destruction of verbatim audio recordings of closed sessions from March 2024 through August 2024, in compliance with the Illinois Open Meetings Act.