July and August Local Government Updates

Reminder: 2026 Midterm Elections in Less than 90 Days! 

For county government updates (including news on indictments, nursing home beds, homelessness strategies, and more) please see our latest Champaign County government updates here.

City of Champaign:

The City of Champaign is working on its own local “Homelessness Prevention Blueprint.” The proposed draft from June is available here starting on page 32 of the PDF. There was also a recent Study Session on Housing Needs Analysis and Strategy, with the final draft of that available here.

There is an ongoing campaign to get City support and funding towards a Champaign County Reparations Commission. This is being led by the Champaign-Urbana Reparations Coalition.

There is also a growing organized opposition to Flock and other AI based surveillance systems in the area, with the City of Champaign’s systems a major focal point. You may have already seen an increase in signage, social media posts, and local articles in opposition to the systems around town.

Illinois Public Media had coverage of the completed improvements in the Garden Hills Neighborhood involving drainage and Hedge Park. Phase 2 of the Neil Street Plaza project will begin soon. The City passed its Fiscal Year 2026/27 budget at the June 16th City Council meeting. The C-U Reparations Committee started what is to be a monthly advocacy for the City to support a reparations commission for Champaign County at that same meeting.

The City Council also extended an additional year of funding for the Strides low-barrier shelter. This is in collaboration with the City of Champaign Township who operates the shelter, but does not have sufficient revenue for those operating costs.

City of Urbana:

The News-Gazette had an overview of the new surveillance approval process approved by the Urbana City Council this week. That article highlighted Councilor Shirese Hursey’s opposition. Her full remarks are available from the meeting video here.

Dr. Stephanie Renae Stewart-Cockrell was appointed to the vacancy in ward 5 at the June 22nd Council meeting. Grace Wilkins announced her upcoming resignation last month. It’s unclear when she will make the decision final. She was at the most recent City Council meeting on August 3rd, in spite of earlier reports that she was likely to step down towards the end of July.

There had been some audio issues with the City Council meetings and there had been an announcement that council, board, and commission meetings would no longer be livestreamed due to those issues. This issue was resolved with a work around by the time this had been reported, however. The city is continuing to livestream the same meetings and recordings are still available a few days after each meeting (usually with some helpful sound adjustments for the quieter parts).

There was a presentation on the proposed Philo Road Ahead Initiative at the June 8th City Council meeting (video link here). C-U Citizen Access had detailed coverage of the initiative and properties at issue.

There was a great deal of coverage, back in June, over a proposed landmark designation of the old Urbana Civic Center and its possible future use as an MTD transfer station. The landmark designation proposal failed, and the MTD appears to be moving forward to apply for federal funding for the transfer station project. A June 17th News-Gazette article had a helpful overview of the issues surrounding the decision and numerous links to related articles and opinion pieces.

The debate over a proposed apartment project in a West Urbana neighborhood had raised concerns about disparities in zoning, planning, and investment. This particular item was pushed to July 13 for further discussion and a vote, which passed.  There was a large focus on protecting the “character” of neighborhoods, which has some historically problematic ties to previous segregationist policies and rationalizations locally. An example from a 1939 Champaign County Realtor's ethics guide, for example linked character to maintaining racial and ethnic purity of neighborhoods:

The language was softened to a "colorblind" wording after World War II, though the actual policies remained effectively unchanged for decades longer.

There is a very preliminary draft report for the Alternative Response Task Force. It was discussed at the June 25th Stakeholder Meeting. It was noted repeatedly that this preliminary report is still missing several sections expected to be in the final report.

The City Council approved the “community engagement and violence prevention office” at Sunnycrest Mall. The News-Gazette had a brief overview of the concept and the opposition by two Aldermen. There was an Urbana Police presentation at the March 23rd City Council Meeting on the proposed office and team (video of that presentation here).


Other Local Government Updates:

• METCAD: C-U Citizen Access raised concerns about ambulance response times in Champaign County compared to the Eight-Minute Standard.
  
  
• MTD: The C-U MTD board had to redo its annexation vote for areas that would allow a link for local bus routes to Carle at the Fields in Southwest Champaign. There was a technical violation of state law that prohibits meetings on election day (one of the public hearings for the annexation fell on the day of the March primary). There was a new annexation Public Hearing on June 22nd. The board approved the annexation at its June 24th meeting.

June Local Government Updates

[Update 6/11/2026 at 8:17am: The Alternative Response Task Force meeting today (6/11) was canceled and rescheduled for June 25, 2026 at 3:30pm (see notice here). It's listed as a "Focus Group Session" and will likely be scheduled at the IMC again.

There were also delays and movement on a couple of the Urbana City Council items mentioned when this report was written last week. The UPD engagement center at Sunnycrest was approved, and the apartment development in the West Urbana neighborhood was postponed until next month.]

There is a separate post highlighting some of the local Juneteenth events, as well as some other event information for June and in general here. 

Issue highlights:

Gun Violence: There have been numerous incidents of gun violence in recent weeks. The Police Chief Updates at the June 10th Community Coalition meeting will likely be the best source for more general updates. That meeting starts at 3:30pm, but will also be available online as early as the next day at this link.

Homelessness: Both the City of Champaign and the CSPH (Champaign County Continuum of Service Providers to the Homeless, operating out of the Regional Planning Commission) are developing strategic plans on the issue. The CSPH process involves the national consulting firm Homebase and is working towards “a community-wide plan to achieve functional zero homelessness by 2028.” 

A draft version of the City of Champaign’s Homelessness Prevention Blueprint was included in the Study Session report on May 26th (starting on page 32 of the report here). The City’s planning already includes a proposal for a new “homelessness and community services manager” position. The position and its duties are expected to evolve, with decisions on permanently funding the position after the initial three years. I’d expect the final vote(s) on the finalized blueprint to happen with the Fiscal Year 2026/27 budget votes this July.

Aging Care: There will be a public hearing on an application by Advocates for Aging Care for 120-licensed skilled nursing beds, as part of its efforts to address the local need. The hearing will be held at the Savoy City Council Board Room (611 N. Dunlap) on Tuesday, June 9th from 1:00-4:00 pm. Those wishing to submit a letter of support must submit them no later than June 20th. AAC's flyer is information, regardless of your views on the topic (click to enlarge):

Champaign County Health Care Consumers has a lot of additional information on the project being proposed and discussed at this Public Hearing here. 

Municipal and other Local Government:

City of Champaign: See the highlight on the homelessness blueprint above. There is additional information on the homelessness blueprint and public input efforts at the Engage Champaign website here. The C-U Reparations Coalition will be attending city council meetings in both Champaign (6/16) and Urbana (6/15) this month. They will be pushing for the cities to support establishing and funding a Champaign County Reparations Commission for African Americans. Like many modern reparations movements, the efforts are aimed at education and addressing harms that are often far more local and recent in nature.

There were positive updates, both organizational and financial with the City of Champaign Township and the Strides Center earlier this week (that video presentation is available here). The Council also recognized Gun Violence Prevention Week with a proclamation highlighting local organizations and organizers attempting to implement the gun violence prevention blueprint.

City of Urbana: Chaundra Bishop has passed away. Last month’s report noted that she had resigned for health reasons related to her extended battle with cancer.

There will be a vote at the next City Council meeting for the final approval of the “community engagement and violence prevention office” at Sunnycrest Mall. The News-Gazette had a brief overview of the concept and the opposition by two Aldermen. There was an Urbana Police presentation at the March 23rd City Council Meeting on the proposed office and team (video of that presentation here).

There has been a controversy about a possible apartment complex project in a West Urbana neighborhood. Smile Politely has had a couple articles on it, including one that took a stance in favor of supporting the project and another opposed. Local officials like Danielle Chynoweth have come out publicly in favor of the project as a necessary step towards addressing the general housing shortage and its impact on affordable housing as well. Alderman Christopher Evans has posted a four part opposition on social media (example from Smile Politely comments on facebook here: part 1 of 4).

The next stakeholders session of the Alternative Response Task Force will be June 11th at the IMC from 3:30 to 5pm.

MTD: Last month’s report pointed out that the C-U MTD board will redo its annexation votes for areas that would allow a link for local bus routes to Carle at the Fields in Southwest Champaign. There appears to have been a technical violation of state law that prohibits meetings on election day (one of the public hearings for the annexation fell on the day of the March primary). There will be new Annexation Public Hearing on Monday, June 22nd at 5pm, held at Curtis Road Church of God in Champaign

Local Government Updates

We'll be trying out a little bit of a new format to try to have more regular and concise updates moving forward.

General Updates:

Elections:

Election day for this year’s midterms is November 3rd, 2026, with Early Voting starting around October 24th. You can find the local primary election results here on the News-Gazette website. There are new local party chairs, with Urbana Mayor DeShawn Williams chairing the Champaign County Democrats and perennial local candidate Jeff Brownfield replacing Susan Mantell in the County GOP.  

Federal Changes / Local Impact:

So-called “work requirements” for food assistance are going into effect. Champaign County Health Care Consumers have a great deal of information and assistance available on how to navigate the new hurdles for those having to prove their eligibility, exemptions, etc.

Gun Violence: The latest updates, including the police chief updates, can usually be found at the monthly Community Coalition meetings available here. There has been a number of recent shootings, many involving minors, in recent weeks. Unsecured guns, lost or stolen from homes and vehicles here and across the country, appear to be a major source for guns used in these types of crimes. Sheriff Heuerman noted that in one recent car theft, at least two guns were taken from a local unlocked vehicle. As we have seen, time and time again, if someone wants a gun, they just have to check enough car door handles in any given parking lot or neighborhood.

There still remain severe challenges in ensuring school attendance across both local school districts here with dozens of kids in each at ongoing and regular risk. There was a detailed discussion on those challenges at the recent Race Relations Subcommittee of the Community Coalition last month.

Local Government Roundup:

Municipal / School Boards:

City of Champaign: The affordable housing crisis has been a longtime and ongoing issue for the C-U. According to the housing needs assessment report and presentation earlier this year, the City is expected to present “the final document to the stakeholders and to the City Council for approval and moving into the implementation of the Housing Needs Analysis and Strategy” this month. 

The annual township board blocked an agenda item for an advisory referendum related to a state law restricting boycotts of Israel. The same referendum passed in Cunningham township at their annual meeting and several other township meetings around the state.

Champaign Park District: The Champaign Parks Foundation is looking for four new members. This organization helps raise money for unmet needs of the park district itself. Elections for Champaign Park District commissioners occur staggered in odd election years, with two commissioner terms expiring in 2027.

City of Urbana: The Alternative Response Task Force (re: policing / 911 calls) had a community engagement event with video available on the Urbana Public TV YouTube page here. President Pearson has been actively working with the stakeholder meetings over the past several months, looking at various alternative response systems around the country and possible local implementations here.

Unit 4:  The Board of Education has approved some of the new cabinet members for the incoming new Superintendent, Dr. Geovanny Ponce, who will begin that role on July 1st of this year. The district approved a separation agreement with former Central High School Principle Montia Gardner, with both sides agreeing not to sue each other in the aftermath of the falling out in a short, but apparently contentious year.

The district renewed its contract for Student Resource Officers. The News-Gazette had details of the contract, including the limitations on officers to issue tickets and other issues here.

MTD: The C-U MTD board will likely have to redo its annexation votes for areas that would allow a link for local bus routes to Carle at the Fields in Southwest Champaign after a technical violation of state law that prohibits meetings on election day (one of the public hearings for the annexation fell on the day of the March primary).

Champaign County Government:

The County’s budget process has begun with the Budget Director’s financial forecast presentation at the April County Board meeting. The board is openly considering across-the-board cuts, especially in light of the recent voter referendum supporting cuts to staff and services and opposing any new tax revenues.

The long-delayed Fiscal Year 2024 Audit is still being processed by the external auditor (Clifton, Larson, Allen LLP). There was an update on that process at the last Committee of the Whole (page 54 of the agenda packet). In March there was a presentation on the history of audit issues that led to our current predicament (video and slides).

The expectation is that these continued delays will impact funding, with the county likely missing out on funding it may have otherwise qualified for (e.g. through the state and federal government). The work on the 2025 audit is also being delayed while the County attempts to complete the 2024 audit.

The County Board also passed a one year moratorium on massive “hyperscale” data centers, as part of a process that may lead to blocking their construction here completely. The centers tend to have massive electric and water needs. As the recent mapping of the Mahomet aquifer has confirmed, however, those impacts may still threaten Champaign County if one is built in neighboring counties.

MTD Updates and Decennial Committee

 

There's been a lot of MTD updates in the news and local government meetings recently. Also be sure to check out the overview of rural and local mass transit intergovernmental agreements over at the Cheat Sheet of Champaign County here this month!

The local mass transit district has been converting its fleet to cleaner energy and hybrid alternatives. The News-Gazette reported on the retirement of their last diesel-only buses with a grant for even more low-emission and no-emission alternative vehicles:

The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District has been awarded a $6.6 million federal grant to pay for 10 new hybrid replacement buses...

The MTD’s money is paying for 10 40-foot diesel-electric hybrid buses...

About 98 percent of the MTD’s 118-bus fleet includes low-emission diesel-electric hybrid buses, with zero-emission hydrogen-fuel-cell electric buses making up the remaining 2 percent, officials said.

That full article here, mostly citing the MTDs own press release here. WCCU had similar coverage without a paywall here.

In honor of Juneteenth, there is a bus acting as a mobile Juneteenth exhibit through the end of July as well. WCIA had coverage of that initiative here. Smile Politely had some links to information on the MTD's Juneteenth Block Party event. Illinois Newsroom had an information table of the various activities and events involved here.

It's been a long while since I've attended an MTD meeting in person, but I was curious about how it would deal with the State's new requirement for a Decennial Committee on Local Government Efficiency. MTD's Decennial Committee is listed on their website here and includes MTD board members and MTD Managing Director Karl Gnadt. It also includes a couple local resident committee members: prior board member George Griedman and Donna Tanner-Harold, who is known for being extremely active in the community and the mother of Erika Harold.

The community members were approved at the May 31st MTD Board meeting and appear to have been recommended by "staff" via a letter from Managing Director Gnadt (page 45 of the 5/31/2023 meeting agenda packet PDF file here).

There is a Illinois Municipal League has a Decennial Committee factsheet that I found helpful in explaining the basic purpose of these committees and which government bodies are required to have one (and was posted on the County Board's meeting information website). The Township Officials of Illinois website had a lot of additional Decennial Committee information. It has suggestions for moving forward with these committees, including sample drafts, and legal references. 

Decennial Committee Meeting: Meeting Video

As one can gather with a new, somewhat vague law and some preliminary factsheets and suggestions, the MTD's Decennial Committee was mostly establishing what it is that they were going to do here. The MTD attorney explained the basics as best as he could. The focus is for the committee to look for areas where the MTD as a local governmental body, as overseen by the MTD Board, can improve its accountability and efficiency. There are no metrics provided for the law on how to measure accountability and efficiency.

The law leaves it to the committee and whatever public input can be brought to bear through the process to come up with new ideas on accountability and efficiency. This is to eventually be put in a report and submitted to the local County government's administration. There doesn't appear to be any further outside follow up or mechanism to ensure that any recommended changes happen. It's not clear that the report becomes anything more than a public record at this point.

The discussion initially revolved around the possibly intentional vagueness of the law, but also taking advantage of the opportunity to find areas of improvement. It was acknowledged that some government bodies may elect to do the bare minimum and simply submit the required report, they would like to bring in a consulting firm and actually survey board members, staff, and the community for input.

The local resident committee members appeared to appreciate an offer of the same introductory board information new MTD board members get. Managing Director Gnadt assured them that didn't want to waste their time. They would like to have, in the end, a useful product from the consulting firm.

Member of the public in the audience were given opportunities to address the board with their concerns, but none of the two present took them up on the offer. Written surveys were handed out in the meeting with two basic questions (and an email to submit feedback later if they so chose). The questions simply asked what the the MTD could do better and if the resident rides or used to ride the local buses.

The Decennial Committee left off with a general agreement to move forward to get started on the process of finding a consultant firm. This process is called an RFP or "Request for Proposals" to give companies an opportunity to make public bids for services requested by local government bodies. The MTD attorney and Managing Director appeared to be ready to tweak the language for the RFP discussed to cover the committee's expectations and legal requirements for the work.

The meeting started a few minutes late after 3pm and adjourned just before 3:30pm. So, overall a pretty short meeting. The regular MTD board meeting afterward was a more typical 48 minutes or so.

Regular MTD Board Meeting: Meeting Video

The regular MTD Board meeting followed the agenda (full agenda packet here) with some corrections on the Managing Directors report and some brief bits of presentation and discussion on the action items. While discussion was limited, the board approved some pretty significant items that had already been worked through, including: 

• A budget for the fiscal year. 
• Renewing intergovernmental agreements with the County government (through the Regional Planning Commission and the County Board more on the County side here).
• Approving an extension of a $10 million line of credit as needed for MTD projects, equipment and operations.
• Approving the 5 year audit agreement with Baker Tilly, an experienced government auditor, but the only bidder for this RFP (likely due to the current strain on auditing services available).

The meeting ended with a presentation on the replacement of old in-ground diesel tanks for refueling buses. There were additional costs with removing the old tanks. Some of that was due to extra materials and additional concrete work. Some was due to contamination in soil samples during the process. The contamination does not appear to have been from the old diesel tanks (which did not have any breaches to the external tank structures). Soil samples around the tanks did not test positive for contamination.

It didn't appear to be immediately clear if the contamination was from the refueling activities nearby or remnants of past industrial operations at the same site throughout its history. The Illinois Environment Protection Agency was notified and potentially contaminated water on the site was removed through exhaustive additional measures (multiple truck loads) and not released into the local environment.

The agenda packet lists the additional costs of removing, storing, and transporting the contaminated water to an appropriate disposal facility (pages 145-150 of the PDF file).

Other MTD News and Updates:

• The News-Gazette's "Meeting Minutes" feature had coverage of the MTD Board meeting earlier this month, approving contracts with the local school districts and designating Willard Airport as a "preferred" airport for in-district flights.
• An earlier News-Gazette "Just Askin'" article on the new cleaner energy buses MTD is striving towards.
• WCIA had coverage earlier in the year of some of the upcoming changes to routes this Fall and the public input opportunities available at the time.
• And of course, MTD services in the summer are still a bit reduced while the students are gone. Summer service reduction information from the MTD's website.

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.

Unit 4 Updates: Hybrid Model and SROs

This post previews tonight's Unit 4 Board of Education meeting, coverage and notes on the past few board meetings, and some related Unit 4 news items in the local news. Topics include the district moving towards the hybrid model many parents have been demanding, a delayed look at the School Resource Officer program, empowerment of Black students and teachers, and a deep dive into the district's strategic plan. Smile Politely also had a recent overview of Unit 4's YES employment program for students worth checking out.

The March 8th Unit 4 meeting (agendas available here) will have a review of the districts School Resource Officer program. From the agenda item description:

In response to Section X of the Board Resolution to Declare Racism a Public Health Crisis, District administration conducted a review of the SRO Program that included the voices of students, parents, staff, administration, and the SROs themselves.  Their feedback was captured via surveys and focus groups.  Survey and focus group questions were created by the newly-formed SRO Ad Hoc Committee comprised of:

• students from the Goal Getters group
• parents recommended by PTA Council
• middle and high school teachers and administrators who are also members of either the District Safety Committee or the Discipline Advisory Committee
• the equity assistant principals
• community agency representatives from DREAAM, Don Moyer’s Boys and Girls Club, First Followers, and East Central Illinois Youth for Christ
• the Champaign Police supervisor over SROs. 

Alternatives to the SRO Program were investigated and discussed by the committee, as well.  Tonight, I will present the committee’s findings and their recommendation to maintain the SRO Program with modifications and to add Student Support Advocates beginning with the 2021-22 SY.

A previous discussion on SROs last month was abruptly removed from the agenda in January. At the time there had been legislation that may have made the subject moot, including an Illinois bill that would have eliminated SROs in Illinois altogether. As WCIA noted, that bill has since been tabled (possibly until next year):

House bill 0029 was proposed Wednesday. It’s already been tabled, which means it probably won’t move until next year. Still, school leaders are afraid the idea behind it could re-surface...

The bill also outlines things that should happen if a student under 18 is questioned by officers. It says their parents should be notified, and a parent or someone like a school psychologist or school nurse should be there during the questioning. 

WREX had a concise overview of the bill in their coverage here. At the January 25th School Board meeting, public speakers were frustrated by the agenda change, but took the opportunity to share community concerns on police in schools that night (available at the meeting video starting at the 48:10 minute:second mark here). Board Member, Dr. Baker echoed public comments about the need for a plan to get the district on a path towards in-person learning now. Other board comments explained some of the legal issues with the agenda change.

The News-Gazette had coverage of some of the back and forth on in-person learning at the meeting:

Two Champaign school board members expressed exasperation Monday with Superintendent Susan Zola’s plan for returning to in-person learning...

District principals explained at the last school board meeting that rather than a hybrid model, where a majority of students would simply watch their teacher and have no interaction during class, they preferred a model where all students had access to the same classroom experience.

Zola noted that in the Springfield district, only 40 percent of students are back in class, “which means 60 percent are just watching their teachers teach.”

More at the full article here. Around the same time WICS had coverage of the impact of complex and changing bus schedules and concerns about the impact on the mental health of students.

Soon after the February 8th School Board meeting, the district flipped on the hybrid model decision. From the News-Gazette on February 10th:

The administrators made a case that their setup would be better educationally, with Central Principal Joe Williams saying “Teachers really struggled, thinking, ‘What would it be like for three-fourths of the student body every day to simply be watching TV?’”

But last week, the district announced it would be going with a hybrid plan that more closely resembles the one those parents advocated for...

By the time the changes occur, all staff members who want to be vaccinated will likely have received their second dose. Like Urbana, Champaign plans to begin testing students using the University of Illinois’ saliva test in the coming weeks. Both districts will be able to test their students for the rest of the year thanks to a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation.

Full article here. In another reversal, the News-Gazette also reported that some Unit 4 games will allow two spectators per student player.

February also saw the start of a collaboration between Unit 4 and the MTD to empower black girls. From WCIA:

The campaign highlights the importance of positive representation, that the girls who ride the bus to school should see someone who looks like them and feel proud.

When asked how the community can get involved in the campaign, Assistant Superintendent Angela L. Ward said, “This campaign is just about casting positive images. It starts with posting positive things online. It starts with positive things coming out of your mouth. It starts with thinking positive things when you see those young ladies who are carrying the world on their shoulders.”

The “Brilliant, Bold, Beautiful” ads will be posted on the buses for the next two months, and CUMTD said they are looking forward to participating in more campaigns like this one in the future.

That full article and video segment here. More recently, there was local coverage of the Champaign-Urbana Black Teacher' Alliance. From the News-Gazette last week:

Being a Black teacher can be isolating. Only 7.4 percent of Unit 4 teachers and 9.1 of Urbana teachers were Black during the 2020 school year, and even those numbers are higher than the state average. Without a large group of peers, it can be hard to know whether experiences unique to Black teachers are perceived or imagined...

She wanted to create an organization that focused on inward support rather than outward messaging...

In the future, Thomas hopes that teachers aren’t as exhausted as she is as she tries to play the role of support person and mentor to Black students, which outnumber White students in both the Champaign and Urbana districts.

That full article here. There was additional coverage by WICS here:

The group was created in 2019 with just a few faculty, but now it is comprised of over 75 educators from all departments in schools from Champaign-Urbana.

Its goal was focused on connecting Black educators for support purposes, but 2020 took its mission in a different direction.

It's now finding new growth after the pandemic and serves as role models and mentors for students of color.

That full article and video segment here.

Unit 4 Strategic Plan Assessment

For folks who really want a deep dive into the Unit 4 strategic plan, including early successes in implementation, and other findings and recommendations of the FourPoint assessment, you're in luck! The February 22nd meeting had a presentation on all the nitty gritty here at the 34 minute mark.

For folks who want to see a brochure style overview of the district's Strategic Plan, Unit 4 has a page here offering it in multiple languages. Folks who work with corporate bureaucracies might be a bit more comfortable with the "synergistic" lingo. At times, I find myself pondering whether certain sentences or paragraphs actually managed to avoid saying anything at all. You're not alone if you have to pause and look up "unit 4 RTI" on google more than once. Also Response to Intervention is an important part ensuring students who need help get it. Here's a couple sentences from the Unit 4 page explaining RTI that seemed to get the gist:

The problem solving method is used to match instructional resources to educational need...

Use progress monitoring data to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention plan.

There was quite a bit between those two sentences, but as best as I can understand, they're just trying to ensure that a student who needs help gets some follow up if the help isn't working. I leave it to the reader to interpret and judge from there.

MTD Updates

There have been some updates on the local mass transit service in the C-U metropolitan area, the MTD, in the news in the past few weeks. These include reduced service on campus, safety measures for kids getting to school, and  "Learn to Ride" resources for younger riders.

The Daily Illini highlighted the reduced service for the spring semester:

The service and frequency of MTD rides will mimic the model that was in place over winter break, with some changes...

According to Snyder, these service reductions came after the University contacted MTD regarding “compromised revenue streams.”

“The University needed MTD to pull back the service because they could not pay for the normal full UI service that we normally provide,” Snyder said.

Full article here. More details available at the MTD press release and website here. The Daily Illini had additional coverage on reduced fees as well last week:

Lowa Mwilambwe, associate vice chancellor for Auxiliary, Health and Wellbeing, said that these reductions were made in response to lower bus ridership and less students on campus.

“We looked at the big picture, the ridership at every level,” Mwilambwe said. “And those decisions were made based on what is best for the University.”

Mwilambwe notes that students have asked the University for a reduction in fees, which the University accommodated. 

That full article here.

WCIA highlighted the CU Safe Routes to School program:

“The program is designed to help encourage and support students being able to walk and bike to school,” said CU Safe Routes to School Co-Chair Cynthia Hoyle...

Volunteers brave the cold to ensure clean sidewalks. They are asked to clear a designated route within 48 hours of snowfall...

The program is supported by C-U school districts and CUMTD. They were recently awarded a grant by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

Full article with video segment here. More information available at the program's facebook page here.

The MTD website also has a press release with information and links for younger riders and "Learn to Ride" resources. From that press release.

We hope the tools and School Trip information we’ve been able to provide virtually will be helpful to families and students preparing for the resumption of in-person learning, families who may be new to our community, or those families who just need a refresher.

Urbana School District 116 in-person learning for Middle and High School students will occur on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, in both the morning and afternoon. Champaign Unit 4 in-person learning for Middle and High School students will occur Tuesdays through Fridays, only in the afternoon.

Families can use our Schools page to find updated School Trip information by clicking on a school, and clicking View Route Info for your neighborhood. A detailed route map with School Trip start times and bus stop information will display for trips to school and home from school. Click Download Map to save a copy of the route information for your student’s trips.

Families can also click on a school and enter a starting or home address in the white Address box on the school’s landing page. MTD's School Trip Planner will provide updated routing information for trips to school and home from school.

Full press release here. 

MTD Financial Audit and Tax Levy

Earlier this week the News-Gazette had coverage of the recent MTD board meeting which highlighted the results of a recent financial audit and an update on the MTD's tax levy.

Audit shows C-U Mass Transit District's finances are strong, stable
...
For both years, state operating assistance grants covered 65 percent of the MTD’s eligible operating expenses, according to representatives from Martin Hood, the Champaign firm that completed the audit...

In other business, the board voted 6-1 to approve a $10.6 million tax levy for the fiscal year that began July 1 and will run through June 30, 2020 — a potential 20 percent increase over the previous year.

A levy increase doesn’t translate to higher MTD tax bills for individual taxpayers. The levy is based on the amount of equalized assessed value in the district to which the tax rate is applied.

MTD Managing Director Karl Gnadt said earlier in the tax cycle process the levy increase is largely a placeholder to be able to collect additional taxes if the two Urbana hospitals become taxable.

The full article is available here. The latest update on holiday route reductions and closures is available here from the MTD Pulse. Other recent Cheat Sheet updates available here on recent grant funding boosts and here on other updates and an ongoing survey. Direct link to the survey here.

MTD Terminal Updates and Survey

The local mass transit district is looking for feedback in a survey and is also planning to expand the primary terminal in downtown Champaign. From the Daily Illini:

The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District is planning on expanding the Illinois Terminal to increase access by providing a more efficient service to connect both students and residents to educational buildings, as well as other necessary locations.

The expansion of the Illinois Terminal will include a 5,000 seat arena, about 175 to 200 hotel rooms and an ice arena, according to the MTD proposal.

Autumn Soliman, marketing manager for MTD, said this new proposed project will be beneficial for everyone who rides buses. The new expansion will also give customers a larger Amtrak waiting area and other patron accommodations. 

Full article here with additional comments by City of Champaign council members. Proposal link here.

Also in recent news, the MTD has been encouraging residents and riders to fill out a survey and give them feedback for their future services. From WAND:

The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District wants the public to share what the future holds.

The large-scale study called MTD Next is looking at the potential market for public transit service in the community, where current and future customers want to travel, ho the MTD is performing and how service can be improved.

Officials are hoping for responses from as many people as possible so they can get more recommendations from their customers.

The online survey is brief and is the first comprehensive study of its kind that the MTD has undertaken.

Link to that blurb here. The MTD on-line survey is available here. The News-Gazette had additional information about the MTD's efforts to gather information for their study earlier this month:

[MTD Planning Manager Jay Rank] said the study is set to be completed in August 2020.

In addition to the online survey, the MTD has also done an on-board survey of riders. It will also be looking at data from cellphone apps that show how people are moving about in the community, Rank said.

That information is being supplied by a private company and derived from cellphone carrier data, and the MTD won’t have any access to information on individual cellphone users and their movements, Gnadt said.

The study is being funded through an Illinois Department of Transportation grant.

More at that full article here.

League of Women Voters: Observer Reports

The last League of Women Voters meeting was a series of their annual Observer Reports. The reports are available from Urbana Public Television's YouTube channel here:

Here's a list of links to the government entities covered and the LWV reports on them:

• Champaign Public Library Board of Trustees and LWV report
   
• Champaign Park District Board and LWV report
   
• Urbana City Council and LWV report
   
• Urbana Plan Commission and LWV report
   
• Urbana School Board and LWV report
   
• Regional Planning Commission and LWV report
   
• MTD and LWV report
   
• Urbana & Champaign Sanitary District and LWV report

A couple highlights for people looking for appointment opportunities. The Urbana Plan Commission had a recent vacancy, though I don't see it on the Urbana Mayor's list of open commission seats here. I don't know if that means it has already been filled or just isn't listed yet. Another position will be opening up on the Urbana & Champaign Sanitary District, including its very controversial pay schedule, in June. Those seats are appointed by the Champaign County Board with more information on that here.

For more information on the League of Women Voters of Champaign County, visit their website and check out their annual meeting coming up this Saturday, May 4, 9:00am - 1:00pm, St Matthews Lutheran Church on Philo Rd., Urbana.

MTD "The Yards" and SafeRides App Updates

A couple MTD updates on "The Yards" downtown development and a new SafeRides app below. The MTD Board of Directors approved the scope of the Illinois Terminal expansion as part of "The Yards" planning in downtown Champaign. From the News-Gazette last Thursday:

The board will also be asked to say yes to the scope of MTD's share of this project, which would include it covering $25 million of the $200 million-plus overall cost...

The Yards is being undertaken as a partnership between the MTD, city of Champaign and private developers, and so far that includes plans to expand the MTD's Illinois Terminal building and to add new retail and office space, apartments, a hotel and athletic arena.

The MTD already took a step forward by signing a contract with a consultant last month to get its part of the project through the pre-construction phase.

The MTD's share will include an expansion and renovation of the terminal, an expansion of bus platforms and coverage of part of the cost of a mixed-use facility with parking, retail and commercial space. Another 24,248 square feet would be added to the approximately 50,000-square-foot terminal building, which would remain four stories and expand to the south, Gnadt said...

The MTD anticipates entering into an agreement with the private developer, Core Spaces, and also receiving a decision on federal grant money this year.

Construction is expected to start next year and run through 2023, according to the MTD.

Full article with more information here. Previous update on MTD and "The Yards" here and specifically about their previous grant applications falling through and plans moving forward here. The information packet for the meeting described the vote to approve or not like this:

1. Approval of the presented scope for Illinois Terminal Expansion and The Yards project. This will allow the District to move forward on the planning process with the project partners. 
2. Do not approve the presented scope for Illinois Terminal Expansion and The Yards project. This would stall progress on the District’s renovation and expansion of Illinois Terminal and passenger platform. If improvements are not made to Illinois Terminal, the District will not have the ability to respond to the adjacent development, causing safety and accessibility concerns. 

In the meeting a vote against was described as letting the surrounding community go forward with decision making on the project without MTD playing a role in those decisions. The vote passed unanimously in roll call vote. Update: More coverage (including before footprint and after maps) at the News-Gazette here and Smile Politely here.

The Daily Illini had information on MTD's new SafeRides app last week as well:

The Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District has recently released a SafeRides app for the campus community, which can be used to request a SafeRide. However, students are still able to order a ride through the SafeRides number.

The purpose of SafeRides is to provide safe transportation to students who are traveling alone when there is a lack of other transportation methods, such as buses.

Riders can now search “MTD Connect” in both Apple or Android stores and download the app for free. After downloading the app, users must create an account to use it. The app allows individuals to submit their preferred destination address, which functions similar to how one would do with Uber or Lyft.

“The app removes the guesswork from booking a SafeRide. By entering an origin and destination, the app pulls the geographic data of the boundaries and the fixed-route service to determine SafeRides eligibility,” Soliman said. “Users do not need to call to ask if a SafeRide is available. They can simply enter their address and, if eligible, their van will be on its way with a trackable ETA at their fingertips.”

More at the full article here.