Committee assignments for Hononegah school board members

During the May 21, 2025 Hononegah Board of Education meeting President Dave Kurlinkus announced the school board's committee appointments. Though school board members are elected, their positions are volunteer and unpaid.

C0-chairs of the Buildings and Grounds committee are Bob Geddeis, and Evan Schoepski.

This committee works with Dave Berg, director of Buildings and Grounds.

Board members on the Buildings and Grounds committee are responsible to review all district equipment, property and facilities. They work with administration to review preventive maintenance and cleanliness. The committee also reviews the budgetary requests from the administration. They give recommendations to the board for the needed renovations and upgrades and work with the administration to monitor renovation or upgrade projects.

Mary Lewis serves as the chair of the C0-Curricular committee, along with co-chair Bob Geddeis.

The C0-Curricular committee evaluates and recommends policies related to all co-curricular activities, such as sports, student organizations, and other activities outside of the classroom. They review administrative recommendations for coaches and advisors. This team also meets with the athletic and activities director about the needs and effectiveness of district activities. They evaluate and recommend staff and facility needs to the board to address existing programs, as well as student and staff requests for new clubs.

Gayle Haab and Joshua Ballard are c0-chairs of the Education committee.

This team evaluates and recommends proposals for improvements to curriculum, monitoring student achievement data in addition to making recommendations to the Board to improve student achievement results. They investigate and monitor efforts to work collaboratively with all feeder districts and higher education institutions in an effort to enhance the opportunities for all students at HCHS.
They review curriculum proposals from administrative staff for suitability for inclusion into the curriculum. They evaluate educational policy proposals regarding grading, graduation requirements and any other issues affecting the education of students, They also recommend budgetary levels to the board in order to assure the district meets its educational goals for all students.

The Legacy committee, which was launched on June 21, 2013, is overseen by chair Joshua Ballard and co-chair Mary Lewis.

This committee is responsible for promoting the legacy of Hononegah Community High School. They help publicize student celebrations and internal staff partnerships. Another part of Legacy is developing alumni connections and building and maintaining beneficial community partnerships with the districts stakeholders.

Finance is being overseen by chair Evan Schoepski and co-chair Eric Flohr.

Duties of the Finance committee include seeking input from other standing committees on financial needs to meet district goals and to work cooperatively with the administration to establish an annual levy and budget recommendations to the board.
They monitor the district budget monthly to ensure that projected revenues and expenditures are in line with budgetary guidelines, and do a monthly review of bills before making recommendations for payment to the board.
The committee works to develop effective and efficient short term and long term plans with the administration to meet the districts financial and educational program needs, then present those plans to the board for approval.
In conjunction with Administration they evaluate and re any needed to the districts investment program. They monitor operations for contracts for the district's transportation program, recommending any changes to the board as needed.
They also review and recommend any changes to the district insurance coverage and health programs.

Under the Legislative committee of one, chair Dave Kurlinkus seeks input from the board on issues that could be brought forth for legislation to be approved at the state or local level. He also monitors legislative issues and develops position statements as to how the district would support or oppose such legislative initiatives. another part of this responsibility is evaluating and informing the board of pending or recently passed legislation and the impact that legislation may have on the district. Kurlinkus hosts and attends meetings.

Eric Flohr is the chair of the Policy and Personnel committee and Gayle Haab serves as co-chair.

This committee regularly reviews all district policies to assure compliance with all legal requirements. They seek input from stakeholders, investigate the need for policy revisions, then make recommendations to the board, and regularly monitor compliance with existing policies. They evaluate and recommend policies for district employees. The committee also reviews administrative recommendations about employee discipline and recommends action to be taken by the board.

They oversee contract administration of collective bargaining agreements between the HEA (Hononegah Education Association), HESSA (for support employees), and the board. They lead the board in the evaluation process of the superintendent and recommend any changes to the contractual agreement between the board and superintendent. They supply information to the board in order to assure that educational goals are met for all students.

Bob Geddeis and Dave Kurlinkus serve as delegates to the Special Education Cooperative.

The board has completed the required professional development leadership training which includes topics in education and labor laws, financial oversight and accountability, and fiduciary responsibilities of a board member. Board members have also completed the required Open Meetings Act Training.