School Board Updates

 

 

The News-Gazette "Meeting Minutes" feature on 8/12/2022 included a breakdown on substitute teacher pay across local and area districts here. There's already an update to that breakdown for Tuscola CUSD 301. As one of the lowest paying of the districts, it has increased their substitute pay shortly after this article. Last month there was also an overview of area school construction, including a couple Champaign and Urbana updates here.

There was also a News-Gazette article highlighting the 5 year anniversary of the "Evidence Based Funding" legislation to address school funding inequities. It goes into a lot of detail about where it has fallen short, the impact of the pandemic, and where it may have helped.

Champaign / Unit 4:

There was some intergovernmental drama between the City of Champaign and Unit 4 on the feasibility and/or appropriateness of hosting varsity games at Champaign Central High School's McKinley field. From the City of Champaign Cheat Sheet post this month:

Whether or not varsity football games may be played on McKinley Field  appeared to dominate the attention on local government this past month. A lot of the controversy stems from the fact that during the referendum to "keep Central central," promises were made to the neighborhood that the improvements to Central High School wouldn't include such events. The News-Gazette had a lengthy overview of the situation here and some of the arguments being made here.

More on that and City of Champaign updates on the Cheat Sheet here. The Superintendent was also interviewed and discussed the topic with News-Gazette coverage here. 

There was also a general update on Unit 4's 2016 referendum projects and cost overruns in this week's "Kathy's Mailbag" column:

The original budget for the construction projects was approximately $208 million. “With early supply and labor shortages, unforeseen conditions at the various sites, and the decision to build a new International Prep Academy K-5 elementary building, the overall project cost increased to approximately $273 million. Each requested increase to the construction budget was carefully reviewed, and publicly discussed at various committee and board meetings. The recommendations from the Referendum Oversight and Finance Committees were brought to the board for final approval.” [Unit 4 spokesperson Stacey Moore] said Unit 4 was fortunate to be able to issue new bonds “during historically low interest rate periods...

Unit 4 has wrapped up the majority of the 2016 referendum-approved construction projects to upgrade facilities at South Side Elementary, Dr. Howard Elementary, Centennial High School, Edison Middle School, International Prep Academy Elementary and Central High School. In addition, the referendum provided for renovated athletic facilities at McKinley Field, Tommy Stewart Field and Spaulding Field. Moore said the district’s final project to be completed is the new Central North Fields, which will be ready for use in the Spring of 2023. 

More on that and other local topics at that full article here. 

More Unit 4 Updates: 

• The News-Gazette's weekly "Meeting Minutes" feature on 8/19/2022 included an overview of the Affirmative Action / Equal Employment Opportunities report for 2020-21. The full report is available here and the presentation is available in the Board Meeting video here, just after the 29 minute mark (Agenda packet for the 8/8/2022 and other meetings here).
• More Unit 4 board meeting coverage is available from the 8/12 "Meeting Minutes" (subscription eEdition link) with an overview of training, hiring, and other spending issues addressed.
• The 8/5/ "Meeting Minutes" feature included updates on Central High School projects and other referendum project price tags here.
• Updates on the lower cost of the contract with the MTD for bussing due to recent district changes. From the 7/15 "Meeting Minutes."

Urbana / District 116:

The school board member fired over a "spy pen" pleaded guilty after years of legal wrestling with the States' Attorneys office about an appropriate level of remorse or acceptance of guilt. The News-Gazette had a great deal of background information in addition to the lack of jail time for the misdemeanor plea deal. Of all the strange Urbana school district drama this case dips into, there was one additional "spying" part of the story that appeared to be legal, if not shady in its own way:

However, three days before the board meeting, Kevin Erlinger, a district teacher and information technology coordinator who was among those critical of the administration’s hires and Byndom, testified that he found in Byndom’s personal email an order confirmation from a company called “SpyGuy.”

Erlinger testified he found it while installing software updates on district computers and brought it to the attention of a board member rather than his own boss or the superintendent.

That full article here. More on other legal fallout from the district's attempt at diversification and restorative justice methods at this Cheat Sheet post here. That led to a legal settlement according to WCIA.

More Urbana Schools News:

• The News-Gazette's weekly "Meeting Minutes" feature on 8/5 included an overview of the school board meeting. It included some staffing, promotion, and Thomas Paine Elementary maintenance updates. Masks will likely be strongly recommended, but not required "during periods of high [COVID-19] transmission." There were also some updates on vaccination requirements and other COVID related policies.
• School officials hoping for a sense of normalcy after COVID from the News-Gazette.
• WAND had coverage of the further expansion of the CU Farm to School project.

Urbana Summer Updates

 

There was a great deal of discussion and News-Gazette coverage about a potential blood plasma collection center coming to Urbana:

• Coverage of the special-use permit being looked at by the City Council from 7/9.
• Council meeting coverage on the discussion, concerns and a lack of a vote from the 7/15 "Meeting Minutes" feature.
• An article about the ongoing local plasma needs in the context of the Urbana City Council discussion.
• A preview of the company's appeal to the Urbana Zoning Board this month. More at the special meeting (agenda, video) links on the City's website. The board followed the staff memo suggestion that the case be continued to the 10/19 regular Zoning Board meeting.

For folks who have endured some of the marathon sessions of the Urbana City Council meetings in recent years, the News-Gazette reported a very brief one in the 7/29 "Meeting Minutes" later that week:

The six council members who turned out for this week’s under- 10-minute meeting unanimously approved a six-year collective bargaining agreement between the city and the local firefighters union that Mayor Diane Marlin noted was “historic” in length and “provides certainty to both management and employees.”

The deal ensures across-the-board wage increases of 2.75 percent effective the start of this month, followed by 3 percent hikes on July 1 of the next five years.

The full "Meeting Minutes" coverage is available from the eEdition here. Most of the details for the agreement were covered in the previous Committee of the Whole meeting documentation covered in the 7/22 "Meeting Minutes" here.

There was also mention of the brief Cunningham Township meeting prior to the City Council (which shares the same members). This was due to advisory referenda from the annual township meeting being approved for the ballot. The News-Gazette article noted that Parkland wasn't pushing for this additional funding or this referendum in support of it.

The referendum question is advisory only and, if approved, wouldn’t bind Parkland College to take any action.

It arose from a citizen petition brought to Cunningham Township’s annual town meeting in April.

Parkland College spokeswoman Stephanie Stuart, who oversees the program, said this isn’t a question Parkland is asking of voters.

“Our program is fully funded at this time, and we’re not making a request to any other units of government,” she said.

That full article here. The language of the non-binding, advisory referendum items were included in the meeting agenda. They are phrased as yes or no questions:

Shall the federal government create a universal national healthcare system of Improved Medicare for All to insure that all of the residents of the United States receive quality healthcare that is equitable and fair from birth to death? 

Shall Parkland Community College increase the enrollment for the Support for Workforce Training program as well as increase the stipends of all those enrolled in that program through an intergovernmental agreement with local governments?

More August Urbana Updates:

• There were discussions about replacing a couple of fire stations, rodent problems, and community needs. The News-Gazette had coverage of the 8/15 Committee of the Whole discussion here and proposal details here. Video links of that meeting here. The discussion on fire stations continued to the regular City Council meeting on 8/22 including a presentation and overview on the facilities history and current needs (video link here). Additional News-Gazette coverage previewing that presentation here.
• The 8/12 "Meeting Minutes" included an update on the City Council technical difficulties in livestreaming meetings. There are delays on some new equipment in addition to working out some other technical kinks.
• The News-Gazette had coverage on proposed honorary street signs (similar to the City of Champaign's program) in an article and coverage of Committee of the Whole meeting (eEdition link) and discussion on 8/1 here (agenda, video link on this topic).
• This week's "Meeting Minutes" feature included some appointment updates from the recent City Council meeting and a public suggestion for sharing the burden for the new year round homeless shelter in Champaign.

July Urbana Updates:

• Urbana Park District board coverage in the 7/22 "Meeting Minutes" included a short blurb on the organizational "intergovernmental agreement with the Champaign County Forest Preserve District and Vermillion County Conservation District regarding the Kickapoo Rail Trail."
• There will be some Urbana related information on area gun violence in an upcoming Champaign County Cheat Sheet Post here (when posted).

Unit 4 Equity Updates

Since the last Cheat Sheet post on Unit 4 Updates, there has been additional news coverage and public response worth mentioning. The last updates revolved around equity concerns. The ACLU and NAACP raised racial disparities in the district's gifted program and discipline. The school board raised the possibility of swapping the Garden Hills and International Prep Academy facilities, which brought a strong reaction by the Garden Hills community and parents. More on all that at the previous Cheat Sheet post here. WILL had an overview of the school swap proposal and reactions the day after our last update here.

First off, it was announced in the News-Gazette that there would be two listening sessions for the community in early January:

The Champaign school district is planning two listening sessions regarding its proposal to swap Garden Hills Academy and International Prep Academy.

The first meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 7 at the Garden Hills Academy library, and the second will be at 6 p.m. Jan. 9 in the IPA gym.

Superintendent Susan Zola will visit the schools to “listen to feedback from the community and discuss possible options for several topics,” according to the meeting notice.

That full blurb available here. First meeting notice here, second meeting notice here. For those interested in attending, the school board meets for its regular meeting on January 13th at 5:30pm (more school board meeting information here).

Local education equity activist Craig Walker sent an e-mail to the Unit 4 school board that has also been circulating among Garden Hills families and other organizations. The letter itself takes a strong position against the swap proposal and cited some of the relevant initial equity negotiations from past referendums:

Attached is a flyer for the sales tax referendum that was utilized to pass the funding necessary for several Unit 4 school initiatives including Garden Hills. I was part of the community team that worked with the Board to get the referendum passed.

What is important to understand about this history is that this package was negotiated with the community as a resolution to end the Consent Decree and provide equitable school facilities for the black students in Unit 4.

His full email letter is available here. The flyer he sent along with it is available here. An old blog post covering Unit 4 issues has a well cited timeline on the various taxing issues around the end of the consent decree and the tax issues here. Unit 4's current website also reiterates its commitment to the end of the consent decree being the beginning of its work on ensuring equity in schools:

Champaign Schools are committed to diversity, and believe diverse schools offer the finest education to all students. From 2002 to 2009, Champaign Schools operated under a consent decree, which changed the way we view diversity in our schools. The expiration of the consent decree was not the end, but the beginning of our renewed commitment to increasing achievement levels and access to opportunities for all students.  Our district has established a number of initiatives and programs to help achieve these goals.

More information at that page on the consent decree and other related Unit 4 programs.

In regards to the issue raised by the ACLU and NAACP about racial disparities in the gifted program, Juliann Xu had a guest commentary in the News-Gazette. Excerpt:

Champaign-Urbana’s greatest pride should be its diverse community, and this should be represented in the spaces in which youth interact. When these spaces lack diversity, the students are deprived of the most comprehensive education this town can offer.

Centennial administrators work tirelessly to increase enrollment of underrepresented groups in AP classes. They administer surveys, send letters home and organize informational meetings. Although there is more work to be done to increase enrollment, this is not where the problem lies. The gap is established much earlier, when elementary school students are divided into enrichment and gifted programs.

Once a student is in the gifted program, they are more likely to enter the honors track in middle school, which then makes them feel better equipped to enter AP classes in high school.

Full commentary here. The News-Gazette editorial staff, for its part, argued that implicit bias and discrimination other than "" does not exist:

In fact, unless school officials are intentionally penalizing black students while ignoring or minimizing the same or worse conduct by Asian and white students — intentional invidious discrimination — it’s not really a racial issue, but an issue of disproportionate misbehavior among some members of an identifiable group.

Kids who get in trouble in the K-12 public school system are essentially volunteers for the disciplinary process. That’s because they’re attracting negative attention and potential punishment as a consequence of their own behavior.

That full editorial here. The ideological differences locally on this have been highlighted in a previous Cheat Sheet post on Urbana's discipline disparities here. A recent GAO study on the subject highlighted the problem with some of the other assumptions in the editorial:

Black students, boys, and students with disabilities were disproportionately disciplined (e.g., suspensions and expulsions) in K-12 public schools, according to GAO's analysis of Department of Education (Education) national civil rights data for school year 2013-14, the most recent available. These disparities were widespread and persisted regardless of the type of disciplinary action, level of school poverty, or type of public school attended.

That study available here. Local statistics on racial disparities in our schools available here, including a link to a searchable database. Pinning the blame on racial disparities in housing and poverty as if those racial disparities are somehow unrelated to racial discrimination in the past and/or current systems propagating those racial disparities gets problematic very quickly. 

One has to exonerate current institutions from playing a role in continuing racial disparities, ignore a lot of history that is far more recent than many of us would like to admit, and carefully word individual responsibility to dance around the end result of this construction: they are walking right up to the line of arguing that there is a racial disparity in good character. 

What's certain is that there is a chasm between those who believe America has overwhelmingly resolved its institutional discrimination problems and those who believe modern institutions evolved in a way that maintains discriminatory outcomes. I leave it to the reader to decide whether the disparate outcomes and data support their own views.

Unit 4 Budget Issues

Last week the News-Gazette highlighted the 10s of millions of dollars in cost increases for Unit 4's referendum projects. From their coverage:

Budget for Unit 4 referendum work now $31.4 million higher than projected in 2016
...
After that figure was presented to the referendum oversight committee at Monday's meeting, member Neil Strack asked officials whether it includes potential cost differences for International Prep Academy — one of the latest-scheduled projects with a current budget of $6 million. It didn't.

The $239.8 million number is an update from the original projected total of $208.4 million in 2016 and includes recent overages at Edison Middle School ($10 million), Central High School ($9.2 million) and Centennial ($8.1 million).

Potential overages could increase that budget. And depending on the judgment of board members, International Prep's 1957-era building could be the source of some of those overages, according to Elizabeth Stegmaier, the district's director of projects and planning. Officials are working on a capital projects plan at the board's request that will detail any needed work remaining, as well as any maintenance issues in need of fixing prior to updating a state-mandated health/life-safety report in 2023. The goal is to synchronize the capital projects work with any code-related updates — like fire alarms or accessibility — in a five-year plan...

Financing plans for the overages are still being worked out; board members have heard several presentations on available funding options, including selling land or using district "savings" or moving money from contingency funds...

As of Monday, there were 51 days for contractors to meet summer-specific construction goals prior to the return of students.

Full article here with additional information on weather issues and summer deadlines approaching for work to get done before students return.

Unit 4 Updates

Tonight Unit 4's school board will be meeting and discussing and touching on some items that were in the news last week (meeting information and agenda here). The first update is on the P-cards spending issue (more on that at a previous Cheat Sheet post here).  From the News-Gazette last week:

Unit 4 drafts policies on 'P-cards' designed to prevent alleged abuse
As the state appellate prosecutor weighs whether it will file criminal charges against any member of the Champaign school district, Unit 4 officials have drafted policies designed to prevent further instances of alleged credit-card abuse that led to a state police investigation.

Documents released by the district prior to Monday's school board meeting contain the first drafts of policies setting parameters for the use of Unit 4-issued credit cards, purchases and approval. Since purchasing cards, or "P-cards," were introduced in 2014, the district hasn't had a formal policy on how they were — and were not — to be used...

Now, district policy makers have responded to the controversy by drafting language that specifically prohibits all personal purchases, stating that P-cards "shall only be used for those expenses that are for the district's benefit and serve a valid and proper public purpose," which include "certain job-related expenses" or "purchases on behalf of the board or district or any student activity fund or for purposes that would otherwise be addressed through a conventional ... fund."

More details and information at the full article here. The draft policy is available here (administrative draft policy here) from the Unit 4 board meeting website. The other news item was on women and minority owned businesses in referendum bidding. Conflicting language in State law is making the attempt to encourage diversity in bid awards complicated. Also from the News-Gazette last week:

Champaign school board seeking to change rules on contract bids
Stymied by current restrictions, the Champaign school board plans to introduce a resolution in support of changing a state policy that it sees as preventing districts from selecting vendors based on their diversity goals for women- and minority-owned businesses.

It will take months to move forward, but it's the first step in changing language in the Illinois School Code that limits districts to choosing the "lowest responsible bidder" when awarding work to contractors or vendors.

That language often leads to the exclusion of women- or minority-owned businesses who don't come in as the cheapest bidder — something board members learned as work began on the district's eight referendum projects voters approved in 2016...

That's why the board will vote on a resolution urging the school board association to write legislation that would change the code to allow preference to local or minority- or women-owned businesses.

The resolution must be submitted by June 25 for consideration at a November membership-at-large vote, and could undergo some "refining" in the months prior, or not be adopted at all. Regardless, Shannon said, "We need to start the process."

More information at the full article here. Tonight's school board meeting also includes a proposed draft resolution to change State rules on the issue here.

Unit 4 Spending Concerns and Data Links

The last few weeks have had a number of stories about Unit 4 spending issues from referendum projects costing more than expected to an spending card program lacking a controlling policy.

Last month the Unit 4 school board approved bid overages on referendum projects. From the News-Gazette last month:

Referendum work at Central to continue despite overages
Major construction work at Central High School won't be halted this summer after the school board voted Tuesday evening to move forward despite bid overages that added $9.213 million to the project's original $87.1 million budget.

Officials had hoped a second round of bid releases for work at Centennial High School would ease the situation and allow for creative financing, but Elizabeth Stegmaier, the district's director of capital projects and planning, said those bids also came in over estimates...

Tuesday's unanimous vote puts the total amount of board-approved budget increases for work on referendum projects at just over $23 million.

Repeated bid overages have been attributed to a large amount of ongoing construction work in the area, among other factors.

More information at the full article here, including an earlier data table breaking down costs of various projects at the time. There was a related article about summer activities at Central and Centennial being affected by referendum work here.

Last week more cost overages were approved and the News-Gazette explained the new costs and issued a new cost data table:

Centennial renovation budget gets $8 million increase
The price tag for improvements at Centennial High School has gone up by more than $8 million.

Following an hourlong discussion during a special meeting Monday night, the Champaign school board voted 7-0 to increase the budget for the Centennial project by $8.193 million.

A referendum approved by district voters in November 2016 set the budget for work at Centennial at $63.3 million. In the wake of Monday's vote, it has been raised to $71.493 million...

For example, the district anticipated spending $991,056 for flooring. The bids came in at more than $1.6 million. Unit 4 thought it would spend $7.7 million for mechanical work; those bids totaled more than $10.3 million. The district anticipated spending $5.58 million for electrical work; those bids came in at more than $8.98 million.

Full article and chart information here. Then this week, there was more news about the referendum project work at McKinley Field coming in over budget as well:

McKinley Field referendum work moving forward despite budget overages
Just like with Central High School a few weeks ago, referendum work on the Champaign school district's McKinley Field project will proceed on schedule despite some overage costs.

A unanimous board vote Monday set the summer's work in motion — and in awarding contracts, added an additional $266,000 to the project's budget.

It's not the first time that's happened with this project: To keep field lighting, board members voted last year on a $400,000 increase to its original $6.2 million budget

More information at the full article here, including an overview of the most recent Unit 4 school board meeting. The referendum project costs were an issue prior to the most recent school board elections as well. More information on this in a previous Cheat Sheet article in March with links to some of the criticism then.

The News-Gazette also highlighted a lack of a spending policy for "P-Cards" last week:

Unit 4: Lack of policy, but no lack of spending
...
A News-Gazette Media examination of 19 months of purchasing card expense data for 81 people obtained under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that Unit 4 staffers have charged scores of catered meals, working lunches and snacks, a $200 retirement print from the Larry Kanfer Gallery, flowers for funerals, and thousands of dollars in gift cards for student and staff "incentives" on purchasing cards issued in their names.

Superintendent Susan Zola, now concluding her second year at the helm of the county's third-largest employer, said no written policy exists to guide or govern the use of the district credit cards (or "P-cards"), which predate her hiring as superintendent by three years.

She said she plans to have a policy for the school board to approve no later than July 1, even though she acknowledged that concerns about P-card abuse were brought to her attention almost a year ago.

The controversial spending practices are the subject of a criminal investigation by the Illinois State Police that will be referred to the Illinois State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor's Office for potential charges.

More information at the original article here. The News-Gazette editorial board complained about this and referendum overages in an editorial a couple days later and there have been a few letters to the editor criticizing and defending the P-Card spending.


In other data related items for Unit 4, Tom's Mailbag had a question about administrative cost information in the district. He had an explanation of what data is or is not available and administrative salaries here. Excerpt:

Finally, the Illinois School Report Cards address administrative costs but in what likely is an unsatisfying way. They only track average administrative salaries — Champaign's is $89,939 compared with the state average of $107,279 — and "general administration" as a percentage of all expenditures.

In Champaign general administration is recorded as 1.9 percent of all expenditures versus the statewide average of 3.1 percent.

In Urbana the average administrator salary was $101,981. General administration was 3 percent of expenditures.

There was also a letter to the editor demanding movement on addressing racial disparities in Unit 4 discipline here. It cites a News-Gazette article from last year flagging local districts for racial disparities. More local data on racial disparities in education discipline on the Cheat Sheet here and related local racial disparity data here. There was also some increased enrollment data a couple weeks ago (available on the eEdition with digital subscription here). Excerpt:

Continuing a five-year trend, enrollment is up in the Champaign school district, with current counts projecting at least 10,240 students enrolled next year.

That number is an increase of 226 students from the 2017-18 school year’s count. The district has hovered around 10,000 students since 2016-17, when it had 10,060.

In preparation for the district’s large number of kindergartners — 882 — Superintendent Susan Zola said Unit 4 has “added an additional two first grades at some campuses to help mitigate that large grade level.”

Full blurb available here in the eEdition.

City of Champaign Roundup

There were a few various local government news items for the City of Champaign this week relating to the City government, funding for a Park District aquatic center, and an asbestos scare at a Unit 4 school. On downtown, the News-Gazette highlighted some recent closings and matched that with future optimism of new business:

Downtown Champaign in midst of transition game
In the last few months, Bacaro, Radio Maria, Destihl, 51 Main and Memphis on Main have either closed or announced plans to move from downtown.

But One Main Development CEO Dave Jones isn't concerned.

"When something closes or changes, it gives everyone pause," he said. "But if you take a step back and look at everything in the larger picture, it's not really a concern."
...
Once Bubin Properties completes its mixed-use development at the old News-Gazette press building across the street at 48 E. Main St., and if and when The Yards project is completed on the south end of downtown, Nudo expects the east end of downtown to thrive...

The Yards is a $200 million project that would include an expansion of MTD's Illinois Terminal, a new hockey arena, a 175-room hotel, convention space, and 154,000 square feet of retail and office space.

The city of Champaign has been in discussions with the project's developers about what they'll ask of the city, and city planner T.J. Blakeman said the project is tentatively scheduled to appear before the city council sometime this spring.

More at the full article here. The Park District

Champaign Park District still working on funding for pool at Martens Center
While the Champaign Park District gets ready to proceed with the new Martens Center at Human Kinetics Park, officials remain uncertain as to whether to include a pool in the new facility.

The district's director of development, Laura Auteberry, said the decision on including a pool could hinge on how much additional money can be raised for Martens, which will be built at 1501 N. Market St.

Auteberry said more than $10 million has been raised for the Martens Center, led by a $4 million gift from Rainer Martens, the founder of Human Kinetics Publishers, and his wife, Julie.

In addition, the Champaign Park District has made a commitment to provide $2 million for the center.

"While the $10 million is sufficient to build the community center, it doesn't allow us to create a center with many of the amenities the community would benefit from, which has a projected cost of $14.5 million," park district Executive Director Joe DeLuce said. "If construction began today, we would lose the planned aquatics area."
...
People, businesses and organizations interested in making contributions to the aquatic center may contact DeLuce at 217-819-3821 or joe.deluce@champaignparks.com.

Full article here. WCCU had a video segment here and a transcript blurb excerpted below:

Students at Central High School are able to return to their classrooms after an asbestos scare.

Last week, Unit 4 School District said they found traces of asbestos in some of their material used to hold windows.

They were submitted for testing.

Those results stated that two of the classrooms were negative, but a third had "unacceptable limits".

Unit 4 said they applied a process of negative pressure to clean the entire area.

Now, all three classrooms are clear for students to use.

 This was a followup of a previous segment alerting that students were moved as a precaution here.

Unit 4 Updates

Groundbreakings, compensated home visits, and more money approved for projects... and updated candidate information here. Also the News-Gazette issued their endorsements (whether one takes that as positive or a negative) here. First on news updates, however, Unit 4 budgeting for projects in addition to or increasing referendum projects got a boost this month. From the News Gazette a couple weeks back:

Unit 4 board unanimously OKs another $10M in upgrades for Edison
...
In a unanimous vote Monday night, Champaign school board members signed off on $10,098,090 more in renovations to 105-year-old Edison Middle School, bringing the total project expense to a little more than $25 million.

The board's action came 28 months after district taxpayers approved a six-school, two-field, $183.4 million referendum that included $15 million for Edison. But the plan put before voters didn't include fixes to some of the building's most glaring shortcomings, Unit 4's project management team pointed out last month, which led the board to take a second look at Edison.

The result: a project that now includes heating and electrical updates, sprinklers for fire protection and plumbing updates in addition to the original list of work (a new cafeteria, expansion of the gym and classroom renovations, among other things)...

The school board also approved two other budget increases for referendum projects:

— $997,041 for South Side Elementary, to cover bid overages, hazardous materials abatement, playground equipment and a change in bus drop-off areas that board members say will make the school more accessible...

— "Not to exceed" $45,187 for Spalding Park, the new home of Champaign Central Maroons baseball, to pay for a "batter's eye" screen — a dark outfield backdrop to help hitters better see the ball.

More details at the full article here and an article the day before previewing the school board meeting here. The News-Gazette editorial board took issue with the additional spending afterward here. Smile politely had the dates and links for the upcoming groundbreaking ceremonies at Central and Centennial schools here.

The News-Gazette also had coverage of the Teachers Union gains in the last contract negotiations on compensated home visits:

Champaign teachers union rolling out plans for newly compensated home visits
...
[Union President Jen White] said the union had at least a "couple different versions" of home-visit ideas before the two sides came to an agreement.

The new contract pays on-schedule staffers who make such visits "the extra-duty rate" for up to 21 hours of work, or adds up to three days of personal leave for every seven hours of visits...

In the works right now are training plans and guideline documents that will help interested staffers know how and why they might want to conduct a home visit, White said. Later this spring, White said some union members will "run the training by some parent groups and community stakeholders to see what they think."

...

It's important to note, White said, that the process won't be teachers just showing up on parents' doorsteps. If anything, it will look similar to home visits already being conducted by another group of educators in the district: those at the Champaign Early Childhood Center.

Full article with additional information on the issues surrounding home visits here.

UI Student Government and Elections

Students voted in campus elections (unofficial results here) this past week that included non-binding referendum and Student Senate elections. From the News-Gazette on Friday:

UI students vote down resolution to make 'Alma Otter' next mascot
...
In a nonbinding referendum this week, University of Illinois students voted down a proposal to make it the official symbol of the Illini by just 300 votes. The unofficial tally was 3,510 in support to 3,807 against.

Though it was created as a joke by three UI students, Alma Otter had gained traction online and was eventually placed on the ballot for the spring student election. The vote was only advisory to the administration...

Other election measures

— By a 4,000-vote margin, students recommended that the Office of Student Affairs increase funding for the UI Counseling Center to add staff and make it more accessible to students, with online scheduling, extended hours, advertised walk-in hours and clinicians placed in academic units. Demand has grown significantly in recent years and students have complained of scheduling difficulties.

— Students approved a $3.50-per-semester fee increase to support a tuition-aid fund for students who demonstrate financial need but don't otherwise qualify for financial aid. They also reauthorized the Student Equal Access to Learning Fee for another four years, a $5.20-per-semester fee that supplements existing financial aid for students with need.

— Students agreed to create a $1-per-semester fee to support Illinois Student Government.

— A measure calling on the university and the UI Foundation to divest from any fossil-fuel companies by 2020 was approved.

— Voters also reauthorized for another four years the $2.58-per-semester Cultural Programming Fee, which supports campus cultural houses and related programs, and the $1-per-semester Bicycle Programs and Infrastructure Fee, which pays for bike paths, bike parking and similar projects.

— Students re-elected Treyshawn Mitchell to a third term as student trustee from Urbana.

More at the full article here. In related news and to help me catch up, here's also a few updates from the most recent UI Student Senate meetings:

News-Gazette coverage of the February meeting here. Excerpt:

A measure to give University of Illinois students relief from rising textbook prices and classroom costs won overwhelming approval from the campus Academic Senate on Monday, though one provision was dropped at the urging of faculty voters.

Also Monday, senators handily approved a resolution highlighting the tools professors can use to deal with disruptive students in their classes, which evolved from an earlier measure aimed at classroom "trolls." Senate leaders said a separate task force is needed to study the emerging threat of cyberharassment.

News-Gazette coverage of the March meeting here. Excerpts:

A proposal to devote more resources to help students and employees affected by sexual misconduct was endorsed overwhelmingly by the University of Illinois Academic Senate on Monday.

By a vote of 111-1, senators approved a resolution urging the campus to hire more confidential advocates at the Women's Resources Center, often a first stop for victims of sexual harassment or sexual violence...

Also Monday, officials said this year's Unofficial St. Patrick's Day event resulted in 28 tickets for alcohol-related offenses and just one arrest — someone trying to intervene with another person getting a ticket, said campus spokeswoman Robin Kaler.

Eleven people were transported to the hospital for drinking-related issues, but no serious injuries, she said.

The number of tickets issued was far below the last few years — 57 in 2018 and 114 the year before.

Additional information in each of those articles available here and here.The Daily Illini had more details about the unofficial numbers here. Excerpt:

The campus received 28 citations for Unofficial St. Patrick’s Day this year, which is over a 50 percent drop from last year’s 57.

Jeff Hamilton, communications manager for the City of Champaign, said in an email a total of 28 city Notices to Appear were issued during Unofficial. Only one arrest was made for aggravated battery to a police officer and a total of 11 medical transports were reported. 

This year’s Unofficial was a very mild event, something the City of Champaign and law enforcement are glad to see, Hamilton said.

Patrick Wade, communications director for the University of Illinois Police Department, said in an email that citations from the University celebration has gone down half from 2018. The number of citations given has also been declining during the past few years.

In 2017, 113 NTA’s were issued, Hamilton said.  

Full article here. More on what was done this year to reduce unofficial problems at the News-Gazette from last month here. University official commented on the downward trend and their desire to see it continue here.

Unit 4 and Referendum Updates

For residents in the Unit 4 school district, the upcoming election will have some choices on the ballot for you. Candidates have been doing forums and meet and greet events recently that can be found in this earlier post along with more election information and candidate guide links: Local Candidate Roundup. Smile Politely also had a great post with Champaign and Urbana school district data here. I've been catching up on local government news this past month and this roundup will cover Unit 4 and related referendum project news:


Highlights:

It appears there are still some tensions between the Champaign City Council and the school board due to citizens pressuring their representatives for more details:

Champaign council urges Unit 4 to shed more light on Central expansion
...
City council members urged Champaign school district officials Tuesday night to listen closely to residents' concerns about lighting at Central High School's future athletic fields, as well as other expansion-related issues.

More details at the full article here. In coverage of last month's school board meeting, the bidding process for Central expansion projects moved forward in spite of vague "budget issues" mentioned: Champaign school board opens Central expansion project for bidding

There were also issues with meeting the diversity goals set forth in the referendum plans:

Diversity goals in bids for Unit 4 referendum work proving a challenge
Questions raised last month about the Champaign school district's financial commitment to minority- and female-owned business enterprises were addressed Monday evening as officials laid out how many referendum dollars have gone to various businesses.

Unit 4 set two goals with its referendum work expenses: send 12 percent of the money to minority-owned businesses and 8 percent to female-owned ones.

The only problem?

The Illinois School Code doesn't allow districts to give their construction work to businesses based on diversity goals. Instead, districts are legally obligated to choose the "lowest responsible bidder" when they choose contractors for work.

More information at the full article here and efforts to make sure the pool of bidding businesses includes diverse ownership.

Some Unit 4 staff remain on the lookout for any new mold problems after cleanup attempts since last semester. From WCIA with video segment at the link:

Committee formed after mold found in classrooms
Last semester, crews found airborne mold in more than a dozen district classrooms.

Teachers say at least two of them started feeling sick. Several deep cleanings and thousands of dollars later, the teachers' union says they were concerned about the situation so much, they addressed it in their contract negotiations...

During contract negotiations in November, the teachers' union bargained for the creation of a "hazardous conditions committee." Members of both unions and the district will start meeting this year.

"The reality is, our teachers, our custodians, the staff that are on campus are going to be our best first eyes and ears to what might be happening," says Zola, "All those voices are important around the table, because all of those voices are going to be a part in any solution we might have in a situation like this."

Some teachers say they are most concerned about the portable classrooms. October test results from one room at Barkstall showed it had six to eight times the recommended amount of airborne mold. Both portable rooms at Barkstall were cleaned over winter break. 

Full article and segment here.


Additional Referendum Project Information and Updates:

Referendum project information for work at McKinley Field and Spalding Park: Unit 4 referendum work update: Big changes coming for parks

Referendum project questions were asked and answered about the fate of nearby houses, Combes Gym, and rental properties in two recent Tom's Mailbags:

• Tom's #Mailbag, Feb. 8, 2019: the Solon House is safe, mountain of dirt by Centennial High, and Central High parking details.
• Tom's #Mailbag, March 1, 2019: Combes Gym will remain, Church St. properties will be for rent, and another Church St. property will be razed soon.

Some projects left out of the referendum are still considered necessary, but need further public approval:

As school's enrollment rises, the budget for its renovations might, too
As promised in its portion of Unit 4's $183.4 million referendum, Edison Middle School will get a bigger gym, a new cafeteria and renovated classrooms.

But it's what isn't currently included in the rehab plan that taxpayers approved in 2016 that now has board members weighing the possibility of expanding the cost of the Edison project — budgeted for $15 million — by as much as $10 million more.

Following a public meeting the News-Gazette had more details on the Edison issues:

Unit 4 referendum oversight panel receptive to raising budget for Edison work
Champaign school district officials spent Monday evening soliciting comment from its referendum oversight committee about a possible $7 million to $10 million increase to the budget for renovations at 105-year-old Edison Middle School — and the feedback was mostly positive...

What's not included in the Edison budget — and never was, even when it hovered at $33 million — is a solution to the building's overcrowding.

With 844 students projected to be attending classes there in 2019-20 and 858 in 2020-21, according to a demographic study the district commissioned, the building is well over capacity.

Armstrong said conversations about the district's ability to house all of those students were ones that "we hadn't had" at the time of referendum planning.

A separate committee — formed to specifically address that issue, among others — is currently "having those meetings now," Armstrong said.

 More information at the full articles here and here.

Unit 4 Admin Raises and Contract Approvals

Yesterday's Unit 4 School Board meeting approved dozens of administrative raises and construction contracts. From the News-Gazette this morning:

Champaign school board approves raises for 75 administrators
Seventy-five Unit 4 administrators have been awarded raises of 3 or 4 percent for meeting district goals.

The school board approved the raises Monday evening after striking them from its Jan. 14 agenda at the last minute...

Administrators in a higher position on the district's pay scale will get raises capped at 3 percent. Officials said that reflects the amount the district can safely give someone who may be nearing retirement. A law signed last year by then-Gov. Bruce Rauner financially penalizes districts that award "end-of-career" raises higher than 3 percent.

Administrators who aren't close to that cutoff point got a 4 percent increase...

In other news, the board approved 11 construction contracts related to the renovation and expansion of South Side Elementary School and other referendum projects.

Bid for the packages offered "came in significantly above estimates," according to district documents, with most of the overages "concentrated in the general trades, roofing, electrical and low-voltage bid packages."

Full article here.

Tax Levy Updates

There have been a series of decisions and proposals for the upcoming tax levy from many of the local government bodies that depend on them recently. This post is to help put them in one place with links to help understand what all this may mean by the time the actual bill comes due to property owners next month:

MTD: "The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD) has approved a nearly 30 percent tax levy increase. MTD is funded through property taxes, grants, and ride fares. This increase does not mean that your property taxes will go up by 30 percent."

City of Champaign: "The City Council has determined that an appropriate total tax levy rate for
the City of Champaign is $1.3152" (the 2017 figure was also $1.3152)." and "Still, the past year's growth will see $826,023 more in property-tax revenue flow into the city's coffers, even with the tax levy at the same level as it has been for the past six years."

City of Urbana: "This will put Urbana's rate within a few cents of Champaign's rate next door. But without hospital properties to count into its levy, the city is likely to see a decrease of $269,375 in revenue available for basic city services."

Unit 4: "The Champaign school district wants to levy for an $8.4 million boost in property taxes next year but is projecting the increase would have a minimal impact on the tax rate paid by property owners."

District 116: "Residents can probably expect to see a lower school tax rate on their tax bills next year."

Parkland: "trustees approved an increase to the school's property-tax levy on Wednesday night that will allow the college to capture additional taxes after an increase in the equalized assessed value of property within the district. Still, Chief Financial Officer Chris Randles said, taxpayers should see a decrease in the college's rate on next year's bill."

Here's a primer post with a few different explanations to help people understand the difference between the tax levy and the tax rate, and how they affect one another: Tax Levies versus Tax Rates

Champaign City Council and Unit 4 Updates

The City Council addressed marijuana ordinance enforcement, bringing it in line with Urbana's fines. WCIA had a video segment and an article with some reactions:

Not everyone okay with new fine
...
Last week, the city council voted to drop the fine for marijuana possession from $350 to just $50.

It brings the city's penalties in line with Urbana, but now, if police in Champaign catch an underage smoker, or bust an adult for a minor alcohol violation, they could end up paying four-to-seven times more than a teenager caught with weed...

The same fine discrepancy now applies to being in the wrong place with the wrong beverage. Standing in our station's back garage, I can hold an open container of beer, but if I were to talk out into the parking lot, the city could fine me $250.

Compare that with getting caught with a joint of pot anywhere. Now, the fine for that is $50.

"I think that was an unintended consequence."

Council member Greg Stock molds young minds as a teacher at Centennial High School. Stock doesn't think the new fine makes sense.

"It's like, wait a minute. If I'm 16 and I'm smoking a tobacco cigarette, I'm going to get a $205 fine. If I'm 16 and smoking a marijuana cigarette, I'm going to get a $50 fine."

Full article with video segment here. The News-Gazette had coverage of the City Council meeting and vote here. The Council is still struggling on how exactly to fully enforce their fines due to the quashing of warrants earlier in the year, however. More on their continued concerns on enforcement of ordinances here.


The Council also passed some referendum related resolutions this week. From the News-Gazette:
Champaign council OKs agreements on South Side, McKinley Field projects

At their last meeting of the year Tuesday, city council members unanimously signed off on agreements with the Unit 4 school district concerning projects at McKinley Field and South Side Elementary School, part of the district's $183.4 million referendum work to revamp aging facilities.

Council members first voted on an amendment to remove two waivers that would have allowed taller-than-allowed light poles around the field and the use of chain-link fencing between McKinley Field and homes to the south. Now, lighting will be restricted to 15-foot-tall poles — with LED lights that can be programmed to turn on and off at set times — and privacy fencing will be built on the south side of the field.

Full article here along with some coverage of disagreements between Councilor Fourman and the Chairman of the school board. The separate governing bodies both have the community in mind, but their slightly different priorities can lead to some clashes and compromise to cooperate. Voters and representatives alike can be very passionate about local government objectives and constituencies. The Unit 4 school board had also hired a new PR chief and approved some referendum matters this month:

Champaign school board approves 40-year PR vet as communications head
A 40-year veteran of public relations is slated to begin working for Unit 4 next Monday, "shoring up" a communications department flooded with responsibilities related to the district's 2016 referendum, board President Chris Kloeppel said.

John Lyday received the board's approval for the chief communications officer position early Monday evening. The position's approved annual salary is $119,893.

"I have about 40 years of experience in public relations — almost 20 in public education," Lyday told the board after the vote. "I am now going to be passionate about Champaign Unit 4. I'm looking forward to it, and I can't wait until Dec. 17."

A 1976 Northwestern University grad, Lyday has held various positions across the state, including stints as the director of group communication for the Tribune Company and associate executive director for the Illinois Association of School Boards...

The board also approved all of its referendum-related items, including:

— Design development cost estimates for McKinley Field ($6,604,515) and relocation of Central High School's storm and sanitary systems, guaranteed by O'Shea Builders to not exceed $1,060,435.

— Two contracts for abatement work at the high schools — $99,970 with Environmental Assurance LLC for Central and $76,312 with Thornburgh Abatement for Centennial. Much of that work will take place over the district's winter break, officials said, with the goal being to finish it prior to the Central expansion project's groundbreaking in the spring.

Full article here.

Unit 4 Roundup

First off, there have been recent updates on the Champaign recently passed school district tax levy. The News-Gazette outlined the proposed levy a couple weeks back:

Champaign school district seeking an $8.4 million tax boost
The Champaign school district wants to levy for an $8.4 million boost in property taxes next year but is projecting the increase would have a minimal impact on the tax rate paid by property owners.

The bulk of the proposed levy increase would be in corporate and special purpose property taxes tied to operation of the school district, while just a sliver of it would be tied to paying down the debt for the school construction projects approved in a 2016 referendum, according to Tom Lockman, Unit 4's chief financial and legal officer...

What the school district asks for in its tax levy isn't necessarily what it will receive. The amount will be set in the spring based on several factors other than what was requested — among them the total assessed value of taxable properties in the district and the consumer price index...

The overall levy increase is expected to have a minimal impact on the tax rate because it would be spread out over a larger assessed value of the district, though final figures won't be known until next spring, Lockman said...

In all, the requested levy would be 7.5 percent higher, from $111,364,397 on 2017 taxes paid this year to $119,775,662 on 2018 taxes payable next year.

Full article here. The tax levy ordinance passed was similar with an overview of the numbers here at the last board meeting on December 10th.


Candidate filings have begun. From the News-Gazette earlier this week:

Kathy Richards has decided not to run for re-election, but the three other incumbents — President Chris Kloeppel, VP Amy Armstrong and Secretary Kathy Shannon — all filed on opening day.

Also filing were four newcomers: Jennifer Enoch, Michael Foellmer, Lee McDonald and Elizabeth Sotiropoulos.

Links added for candidates with information on their candidacy or campaigns. Full blurb here.


In other news, Unit 4 also hired a communications chief:

Champaign school board approves 40-year PR vet as communications head
A 40-year veteran of public relations is slated to begin working for Unit 4 next Monday, "shoring up" a communications department flooded with responsibilities related to the district's 2016 referendum, board President Chris Kloeppel said.

John Lyday received the board's approval for the chief communications officer position early Monday evening. The position's approved annual salary is $119,893...

Lyday's position was supposed to be occupied by former Unit 4 communications staffer Stephanie Stuart, who received board approval April 23 but decided not to accept it. Kloeppel described the position as one much-needed because of the increased level of communications work generated by the referendum projects and an answer to public input.

Full article here.


And finally, following up on the averted teacher's strike, the News-Gazette had a very long and detailed article about the major sticking point of the negotiations: class sizes:

Class-size caps were a sticking point in Unit 4 contract talks
...
Until now, Champaign’s contract didn’t stipulate class size.

“It’s something we tried to bargain the last time” in 2016, said union president Jen White, who’s been involved in the last four contract talks. “The district was a hard ‘no’ at that time. We ended up dropping the language. This time, we stuck with it.”

While no one wanted a strike, White said the nearly 900 teachers and support staff including school psychologists, social workers, occupational therapists and librarians in the union were prepared to walk off the job if the two sides couldn’t reach a compromise on the matter.

“Class size was our single, most unifying topic,” said White, a seventh-grade science teacher at Jefferson Middle School and a mother of a sophomore at Centennial High. “It was incredibly moving to hear our elementary school teachers speak about how appreciative they were. Our middle school and high school teachers were all in. It impacts all of us — from elementary school all the way up.”

Full article here with class size data and a great deal of additional information about various class sizes in the district. It also looks at weighing the benefits of class size limits versus other considerations.