McNay steps down from QHS school board

QUINCY- Long time Quincy Public School board member Richard McNay officially resigned from the School Board at Wednesday’s school board meeting. McNay served on the board for 11 and a half years. He will continue to serve on the Buildings and Grounds committee but is retiring as chairman.

“I’m honored that the public gave me the confidence to serve and I’m very proud of the things this board has accomplished over the 10 years,” McNay said.  

McNay said he is proud of being on the board that hired Ryan Whicker as Chief of Business Operations. 

“He has done an outstanding job with straightening up the books.” McNay said. 

McNay said he is happy the board was able to win the confidence of the public. He said the updates to the junior high, infrastructure improvements, the new parking lot behind the Board of Education and the new schools will help the future school boards. McNay was on the board that helped pass the $89 million referendum to build five new grade schools. 

Former School Board President Sayeed Ali and former superintendent Roy Webb, spoke about McNay’s tenure on the board. 

“It was an absolute pleasure working next to him,” Ali said. “…for the community and the board, it was Richard having that attention to detail and that follow through and holding everybody accountable, you know, day after day…”

Ali served on the board for 11 years before his retirement in May 2024.

“We’re paying less than we were on a tax rate than we were…12 years ago is quite the accomplishment,” said Ali.  

Webb sent in a video for McNay that was viewed during the meeting. Webb was the QHS superintendent from 2015 to 2022. 

“Thanks for all you did for the Quincy community and especially the children of Quincy. We sat on a lot of meetings together,” Webb said. “You led the Building and Grounds Committee where you kept us ahead of schedule and under budget, you also sat on the budget committee, the finance committee, where you kept a tight line on finances, but you still allowed us to do some great things at Quincy Public Schools. Everything you did is appreciated for the community, for the kids, and also for me personally.”

Superintendent Todd Pettit presented McNay with the Spirit and Pride Award. 

“I remember after I accepted the position and was voted by the board, you congratulated me and said, your dad would be really proud of you. And that’s the cool thing about Quincy is that when there are folks that have those family connections, especially to those of us that, you know, I haven’t had my dad since I was nine years old. And that was a really cool connection.” Pettit said to McNay. “I really appreciate that and appreciate you and everything you’ve done for QPS.”

McNay was also given the flag from Rooney Elementary School, one of the five schools he helped bring to Quincy. 

The meeting continued with the approval of the QHS German Club overnight field trip to the Christkindlmarket in Chicago on Dec. 7.

Pettit highlighted achievements in the district, which included students at Rooney Elementary celebrating World Kindness Day by playing bingo and performing acts of service, Baldwin Elementary hosted local author Ron Kinscherf, and over 150 students from Quincy Public Schools were selected for the Illinois Music Education Association’s All District Festival. 

The meeting also provided an update from the District Improvement Committee meeting from Nov. 14. Members discussed the new math and literacy curriculum being implemented across the district, with positive feedback from educators like Heather Humphrey, reading and instructional coach at Rooney, and Brad Funkenbush, Principal at Iles Elementary.

 Both highlighted the importance of giving teachers time to adapt to the new resources, which are expected to improve both English Language Arts and Math scores in the coming years.

“They’re both encouraging their teachers, giving their teachers a lot of grace as they move through to do what they can do and to not overwhelm themselves with the new materials,” Board President Shelley Arns said. 

The Finance Committee presented the 2023-2024 audit, which showed a small finding due to a miscommunication with the auditor but otherwise indicated a healthy financial position with 200 days of cash on hand. 

The district also approved a surplus sale of 600 old teacher laptops, which will be sold to a vendor, Core Tech, for $134 each, generating additional funds for the district. 

The anticipated 2024 levy was discussed. Although an official estimate from the county was not available, the district’s estimate of a 10% increase in the equalized assessed value, (EAV), is expected to result in a tax rate of approximately $3.85, slightly below last year’s rate of $3.93. A public hearing will be held on Dec. 18, as required by law due to the projected increase in EAV.

The board also approved a motion granting Board Member Rachael Petty the authority to represent the district at the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) Delegate Assembly in Chicago later this month, with full discretion to vote based on the board’s consensus on resolutions discussed at the conference.

In new business, the board authorized the district to apply for the School Maintenance Project grant, a $50,000 matching grant that supports maintenance projects. The district plans to undertake projects totaling $100,000 to secure the full $50,000 reimbursement.