Board of Education

Members, Duties and Training Compliance

A group of people in the school community who completely volunteer their time and do not always receive recognition for their work are members of the Board of Education. Peru Elementary School District 124 is very fortunate to have seven very dedicated people who give much time to this role. The Board's work with the superintendent and district leadership team has lead the district through transformational changes over recent years that will positively impact our children and community for many years to come.

Through their active work not only within our district and community but also through IASB, our Board members have achieved recognition for their service. Board members regularly attend the Joint Annual Conference to continue their growth and service. Simon Kampwerth also serves as the President on the Board of Directors for the Illinois Association of School Boards. 

Board of Education Election Timeline Update

Election Timelines (PA 103-0600) - The law makes changes to the time and manner of filing for candidates running for public office, including school board candidates. Specifically, it changes the petition timeline such that they must be filed with the election authority not more than 141 (instead of 113) nor less than 134 days before the consolidated election. For this election cycle, this means that petitions may be circulated starting August 20, 2024, and shall be filed between November 12-18, 2024. The bill has an effective date of July 1, 2024.

Board of Education Authority and Governance

Authority to govern local school districts in Illinois is delegated from the General Assembly to local Boards of Education within the parameters established by the Illinois School Code. The seven members of the Peru Elementary School District 124 Board of Education are citizens and taxpayers of the district. By statute, Board members are elected to staggered, four year terms of office and receive no compensation for their roles as advocates for children and representatives of local taxpayers in providing oversight and governance to the school district.

Board Agreements and Protocols

Here are the Agreements and Protocols for the Peru ESD 124 Board of Education. These were developed to assist and remind Board members of the effective processes that have been successful for the Board of Education. The third page includes the Code of Conduct for Members of School Boards, as provided by the Illinois Association of School Boards. These agreements and protocols were approved by the Board of Education on December 18, 2018.

Board Members and Terms of Office

Patti Leynaud, President (Term Expires 2025)

Rob Ankiewicz, Vice President (Term Expires 2027)

Simon Kampwerth, Jr. (Term Expires 2027)

Josanne Bruins (Term Expires 2025)

Austin Taylor (Term Expires 2027)

John Atkins (Term Expires 2025)

Alison Goode (Term Expires 2025)

The elected seven member Board of Education appoints a Treasurer, Mr. Eric Heagy, and a Board Secretary, Mrs. Megan Baltikauski. The Board of Education generally meets at 6:00 p.m. on the third Wednesday of every month. Please view the Agendas and Minutes section for more details on Board meetings, including dates, times and locations.

Board and District Contact Information

To contact the Board of Education directly, please send a message to schoolboard@perued.net and the appropriate person will respond. It is highly recommended that for emergencies or time sensitive responses, you contact people directly at the appropriate school or within the school district. For all other district business, please contact Superintendent Jamie Craven at jcraven@perued.net or 815-223-1111.

Board Member Roles and Duties

Board of Education members cannot technically act in their roles individually; rather, their role is established in their collective authority at a public Board of Education meeting. Specifically, the Board sets the educational tone for the district, establishes goals, determines the District's educational policies, establishes and adopts the annual budget, oversees the expenditures of funds, approves the annual tax levy and conducts other fiduciary and policy responsibilities under the law. The Board of Education follows the Code of Conduct for Members of School Boards established by the Illinois Association of Schools Boards.

Superintendent Roles and Duties

The Board of Education and Superintendent constitute the management team for the District, with the Superintendent acting as chief executive officer. The Board hires, evaluates and seeks the recommendations of the Superintendent in all matters of district operations. In cooperation with all stakeholders and with the Building Principals, the Superintendent develops plans, programs and procedures needed to implement the policies and direction of the Board of Education, and is directly responsible for the management and leadership of the District's educational programs, personnel, finances, facilities, and daily operations. Specified functions and duties are delegated to the Building Principals, who act in their critical roles as the instructional and educational leaders for each building, while working within the framework of Board of Education policies and District goals.

Peru Elementary School District 124 Organizational Chart

According to Board of Education Policy 3:30, the Superintendent shall develop the Peru Elementary School District 124 Organizational Chart indicating the channels of authority and reporting relationships for school personnel. These channels should be followed, and no level should be bypassed except in unusual situations. All personnel should refer matters requiring administrative action to the responsible administrator, and may appeal a decision to a higher administrative officer. Whenever possible, each employee should be responsible to only one immediate supervisor. When this is not possible, the division of responsibility must be clear.

Illinois Association of School Boards Membership

The Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) is a voluntary organization of local Boards of Education dedicated to strengthening the Illinois public schools through local citizen control. Although not a part of state government, IASB is organized by member school boards as a private not-for-profit corporation under authority granted by Article 23 of the Illinois School Code. The mission of the IASB is excellence in local school governance in support of quality public education. For more information regarding IASB and its programs, please visit www.iasb.com.

Mandated Board Member Training Compliance

All Illinois school board members must receive training in the Open Meetings Act (Public Act 97-504) and professional development leadership (Public Act 97-8). Each Board member must complete training on the Open Meetings Act no later than 90 days after taking the oath of office in his or her first term. Each Board member must also complete at least 4 hours of professional development leadership training in education and labor law, financial oversight and accountability, and fiduciary responsibilities within the first year of his or her first term. Mandatory training will also be required after the new teacher evaluation requirements are implemented in each school district. For additional information, see Board Policy 2:120. The following table contains the date that all mandatory training and development activities were completed by each Board member.

Member	Public Act 97-504 OMA Training	Public Act 97-8 PERA/PDLT
Simon Kampwerth	February 28, 2012	October 23, 2013
Rob Ankiewicz	October 27, 2015	November 20, 2015
Josanne Bruins	June 17, 2017	June 17, 2017
Patti Leynaud	July 8, 2017	July 8, 2017
Austin Taylor	June 7, 2019	June 7, 2019
John Atkins	July 9, 2021	July 11, 2021
Alison Goode	October 21, 2022	November 15, 2022