Board of Education Monthly Meeting Summary: November 2025

The Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 Board of Education met on Monday, November 24, 2025, in the Liberty Middle School Auditorium for its monthly session.   

These are not the official meeting minutes and do not include every detail from the meeting, but rather a summary to assist the District #7 community. The official minutes can be found on the Board of Education Dilligent website once approved by the Board. 

Superintendent's Report 

• Acting Superintendent Dr. Allen Duncan recognized our substitutes as last Friday was Substitute Educator Day.  

• Dr. Duncan visited several classrooms over the last couple of weeks and shared some highlights from what teachers were teaching and students were learning.  

• Four EHS coaches recently earned significant honors, including: Mark Heiderscheid, boy’s soccer, who was elected to the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association Hall of Fame; Dave Lipe, boy’s and girl’s tennis, who was named the National High School Coaches Association Tennis Coach of the Year; Kirk Schlueter, boy’s and girl’s assistant tennis, who was named the Illinois High School Tennis Coaches Association Assistant Girls Coach of the Year; and Michael Sabatino, baseball assistant, who was named the National Assistant Coach of the Year.  

At each Board meeting, Acting Superintendent Dr. Allen Duncan shares a few “Shoutouts” he receives from community members.  

Monday night’s Shoutouts went to:  

• Sara Chapman, Edwardsville High School - Ms. Chapman goes above and beyond in Honors Chemistry by keeping parents informed with detailed weekly updates and engaging students with hands-on experiments and interactive learning. 

• Mark Tschudy, Lincoln Middle School – Mr. Tschudy dedicates his time, energy, and resources to support athletes, engage parents, and create a positive, lasting impact on the team and community.  

• Gladys Nelson, Hamel Elementary – Each year, Gladys coordinates Christmas donations for families. 

• Joey Birrittier, Edwardsville High School – Mr. B inspires and engages all his students and celebrates their successes along the way.  

• Matthew Sidarous, Midway Elementary - Mr. Sidarous is approachable, kind, and genuinely invested in students and families, even remembering them years later.  

• Tricia Gray and Jill Jackson, Edwardsville High School – Along with the EHS Student Council, they organized and executed a successful food drive, dedicating hours to collect and deliver hundreds of donations to Glen Ed Pantry.  

• Brianna Len, Alyssa Smith, and Caty Happe, Liberty Softball Coaches – This group balances accountability and care, while dedicating countless hours to developing skills, teamwork, and character in their players. 

Email Dr. Duncan (aduncan@ecsud7.org) if there is a staff member you would like to give a “Shoutout” to.  

Recognitions 
District #7 October Students of the Month: Leclaire Elementary second-grader Greysen Jackson and Midway Elementary first-grader Keziah McKissick. Greysen’s positivity, love for learning, especially numbers, steady encouragement of others, and joyful energy brightens the classroom and helps create a focused, uplifting environment for all. Keziah is a kind, responsible, and hardworking student who consistently helps others, includes classmates who may be alone, demonstrates excellent manners, and shows a genuine love for learning through her focus, participation, and dedication.  

The Liberty and Lincoln cross country teams were recognized for their incredible showing at the IESA state meet in October. The Liberty boys recorded a second-place finish, while the Lincoln girls earned a third-place finish. Individually, five runners earned all-state honors, including: Lincoln’s Abigail Godard (12th) and Audrey Floyd (21st), Liberty’s Evan Thompson (3rd) and Harrison Jackstadt (19th), and Lincoln’s Preston Brown (6th).  

Superintendent Student Advisory 
The Superintendent’s Student Advisory is a diverse group of EHS students who share feedback and student perspectives on district practices, programming, and school culture to help improve the overall student experience. Their purpose is to ensure student voices inform district projects and decisions while strengthening communication between students and district leadership. Past efforts have included supporting events, providing input on school initiatives, and representing District #7 in the community. Looking ahead, the group plans to gather more student and family input and collaborate with middle school leadership to broaden student representation. 

Model PLC School 
Leclaire Elementary was recognized by Solution Tree representative Jean Burnstine for earning Model PLC Work at School status. Principal Donny Gunter and the school’s PLC Guiding Coalition shared how their Professional Learning Communities have transformed teaching and learning, emphasizing that PLCs are not just Wednesday meetings, but a way of life. Through a collaborative process focused on ensuring all students learn at high levels, Leclaire has seen strong gains in academic achievement and school culture. Their PLC journey has included building a solid foundation, shifting the focus from teaching to learning, responding to student needs, sustaining collaboration, and monitoring results to drive continued success. 

2026-27 EHS Course Handbook 
Kyle Stewart, EHS Associate Principal for Curriculum and Instruction, and Tirsha LeNoir, Curriculum Coordinator, provided an updates to the 2026-27 EHS Course Handbook. The EHS Handbook updates include refinements to course offerings across departments, such as restructuring classes, adding new options, adjusting prerequisites, and pursuing NCAA approval for select courses. These updates help ensure clearer and more streamlined academic choices for students. 

Illinois School Report Card 
Andrea Grotefendt, Director of Special Education and School Supports, provided an overview of the Illinois School Report Card, the state’s annual report that tracks each school’s progress toward key educational goals and assigns summative designations ranging from Exemplary to Intensive Support. The report examines multiple student groups at each grade level and outlines how schools support them through data-driven practices such as PLC work, MTSS, school improvement plans, and curriculum updates. Dr. Duncan explained how overall index scores are calculated, and Tara Fox, Director of Curriculum, provided an overview of academic assessment data from the past year, which comes from Fastbridge and IAR testing. Her report also highlighted the state’s updated proficiency levels, which now align more closely with national standards, as well as ongoing efforts to redesign the accountability system to better reflect school strengths and needs. 

In action, the board approved:  

• The 2025 tax levy estimate for the 2026-27 school year.  

• The renewal of the Gateway Commerce Center Enterprise Zone. 

Next Meeting:  
Monday, Dec. 15: Board of Education Monthly Meeting (7 p.m. at Liberty Middle School)