UIUC and Parkland Updates

 

On public safety and law enforcement issues on campus and in the area, see the Area Gun Violence Updates Cheat Sheet post on our County page. The UIPD's preparation for arriving students was also mentioned in coverage by WCIA.  

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign:

The Daily Illini is reporting that there has been a tentative agreement with the University on the contracts for food and building workers on campus. The union's members are currently voting on whether or not to approve the agreement according to its website. The News-Gazette had additional coverage and details here as well as commentary piece from the union side here.

Last month the News-Gazette reported that the "University of Illinois System has pledged to hire 300 new faculty in the next three years." It included some Urbana-Champaign campus specifics:

Meanwhile, UIUC’s student-faculty ratio has climbed. In the fall, instructor-student ratio ticked up to 21 to 1, highest in the Big Ten, according to the universities’ Common Data Sets.

In fall 2011, the UIUC’s faculty-student ratio was 18 to 1. The Illinois budget impasse from July 2015 to August 2017 cost the UI system several hundred million dollars, and faculty hiring lagged. Back in the March 2019 UI trustees meeting, the UI System announced plans to hire 916 tenure-system faculty over the next five years, including 448 new positions. But that was put on hold once the pandemic hit.

Student applications for next fall are moving “steadily in a positive direction,” Killeen said, and officials anticipate enrollment being on par with last year. The Urbana campus received a record 47,593 freshman applications last year.

That full article here.

The News-Gazette also had coverage on the process of replacing the outgoing Provost:

The UI is seeking faculty nominations for the provost search committee that is advising Chancellor Robert Jones. Seven to eight faculty members will consult with Jones as he picks the successor for Andreas Cangellaris, four-year provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs...

After 25 years at the UI, Cangellaris is moving to northwestern Saudi Arabia, where he’ll begin his term as founding president of NEOM U: the flagship university of the country’s $500 billion developing megacity, Neom.

More at the full article here along with some preliminary updates on COVID guidelines. The interim provost was Bill Bernhard according to reporting earlier this month. Quick answers on "what is a provost" available from the Provost's Office website here.

More on COVID guideline updates from WCIA here. WCIA also had some recent campus COVID and Monkeypox updates. As of this article there were no student Monkeypox cases, although there is a high risk level with close quarters living and activities.

Other UIUC Updates:

• Some brief Board of Trustees meeting highlights from the News-Gazette's 7/22 "Meeting Minutes."
• Updates on new deans in the 7/8 "Meeting Minutes" and another article on the retirement of the law school dean of students here.
• The News-Gazette reported earlier this month that "a Pakistani politician and University of Illinois business instructor was arrested last week in his home country on charges of sedition." 
• The 9/22/2022 Board of Trustees meeting here will have information on the "new tenure and promotion process" according to the News-Gazette.
• The News-Gazette also had the UIUC Chancellor's updates on the Health Innovation and Visioning Committee.
• WCIA highlighted the new Illinois Neurodiversity Initiative Pilot Program. More news and links for that program from the University's website here.
• Parking meters will be removed from campus, according to WCIA, in favor of mobile apps and other alternatives.
• A former UIPD officer was sentenced for misconduct related to using police resources to track women he was interested in. The News-Gazette had coverage on that and other allegations of sexual assault earlier this month here.

Parkland College Updates:

The News-Gazette was reporting an increase in enrollment at Parkland after a previous decline last month:

At least part of an enrollment boost may be the result of more finely-tuned marketing Parkland has undertaken to reach prospective students with an interest in Parkland and to communicate better with those students, he said.

Parkland also this past spring continued a freeze on its tuition rate for the 2022-2023 school year starting with the summer semester, which may also have had some effect, according to Ramage.

On top of all that, a struggling economy tends to have a positive impact on enrollment, he said.

That full article here. 

Parkland also distanced itself from a referendum question the Urbana City Council had put on the upcoming ballot. More on that at the Urbana City Council cheat sheet post this month here.

More Parkland Updates:

• The News-Gazette had an interview with Parkland's President who will be retiring at the end of the year.
• WCIA has recently highlighted training and education programs in highway construction, electric vehicles / automotive, and aviation.
• WCCU featured Parkland College as it relates to new state legislation on mental health services on campus.
• More opposition to former Champaign Police Chief R.T. Finney teaching community policing at Parkland college came from President Minnie Pearson of the local Champaign County branch of the NAACP. Recent defenses of Finney came from his wife in a letter to the editor and an interview with the News-Gazette's Jim Dey. There were protests against retaining Finney at Parkland earlier this summer. WCCU's coverage included a general response from Parkland after that protest here.

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).

School District Updates

The biggest news for many may be that masking has become optional in most schools over the past month, although not without some last minute changes, disparate enforcement, and confusion as lawsuits played out towards that end. Urbana schools, for example, required masks through the end of the State mandate and then on to Spring Break (regardless of court rulings that made it possible for some districts to make them optional even earlier).

Champaign / Unit 4:

In addition to contract negotiations with teachers (more below), Unit 4 has been struggling to retain its special education nursing staff. From WCIA:

Some special education nurses are planning on leaving the Champaign School District. They say the district increased nurse salaries an extra five dollars an hour, but they weren’t included.

Bridget Tribout says there are 13 special education students at her child’s school who need a variety of intense care, including feeding tubes, help walking and going to the bathroom. When she found out the nurses put in their two weeks notice to leave since they weren’t getting a fair pay, she tried to take action. Now, she’s lost on what to do and afraid if her child doesn’t get the treatment she needs it could be detrimental.

WCIA spoke with one of those special education nurses over the phone. She didn’t want to go on camera, but said she put in her two weeks notice. She says the district’s four special education nurses are paid less than the building nurses, so she and another nurse are planning on leaving. Parents, like Bridget Tribout, are upset.

That full article here, which included the district's response and denials. Parents and teachers showed up to show their support for the nurses at a school board meeting, mentioned in another WCIA article here. As of 3/14/2022 there are still numerous Special Education nursing position vacancies on the district's website. 

Back in late January, Teachers voted to authorize a possible strike as negotiations continued with the District on a contract and the School Board's discussions on extending the school day. From WCIA:

As contentious contract talks continue, Champaign teachers have taken the next step toward walking off the job.

The teachers union on Wednesday night released the results of a strike authorization vote, saying members voted in favor of continuing strike discussions. Of the 733 teachers that voted, 91% voted to authorize a strike.

Another more formal vote – an intent to strike vote – would be needed next. That vote along with a state filing would start a countdown to when teachers could legally walk off the job. During that window of time, each side’s offer would be posted online for public viewing.

Full article here with the District responding with its disappointment. WCIA also had coverage of the context heading into the vote here. More on the initial reactions on the extended school day here as well as a solidarity rally with parents and teachers here. Additional coverage is available from Illinois Newsroom here. By late February the teachers union was still describing a stalemate with the district over the extended day, according to WCIA. Illinois Newsroom had an article on what parents might be able to do to deal with a sudden childcare emergency last month.

The following informational links and descriptions help highlight how the discussions have gone since then to the most recent updates from the News-Gazette:

• The union's next step towards a strike sets in motion a process that could see a strike as early as March 22nd, from the News-Gazette.
• "On Friday, the union initiated the next step toward a strike: the public posting process, where both parties have to submit their most recent contract offers to the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board within a week’s time." - News-Gazette 2/22/2022
• The paper reported an airing of frustrations at school board meeting by teachers and parents and the Superintendent's response here. The News-Gazette took issue with her blaming "the media" as part of the problem in an editorial here.

And finally, the public posting of contract offers, reported a few days ago in the News-Gazette:

The Champaign Federation of Teachers is willing to consider an extended school day in two years, according to their first publicly disclosed contract proposal amid tense negotiations with the district.

Unlike the district’s four-year proposal, though, they’d like to hammer out some details over the course of a proposed two-year deal before agreeing to the measure...

Both proposals were publicly posted for the first time as part of a process put in place by the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board, and both are on the district’s website at champaign schools.org. Union members voted in January to authorize a strike with 91 percent support, and initiated the posting process on Feb. 18.

WCIA also had coverage and included the contract offers on their website as well here. 

I don't know what the future holds, but the next Unit 4 Board of Education meeting appears to be on March 28 (regularly the 2nd Monday of each month). The Board has a "Bargaining Update" page here. The local union has updates on their facebook page here.

Other Unit 4 Updates:

• Updated masking rules for staff from the News-Gazette.
• WCIA had coverage of the new metal detectors installed at some Unit 4 schools.
• The "Yes" program appears to be getting a boost after two years of pandemic issues, according to WCIA.
• Coverage of Centennial High School's blood drive in the News-Gazette.
• Street pavers from around Central High School are available for anyone who wants a piece of local history. Blurb from WCIA here.

Urbana / District 116:

COVID Masking Updates from the News-Gazette:

As school districts around the state drop mask requirements, the Urbana school board voted Tuesday to keep its requirement, at least through spring break.

“If we see a big increase in positivity due to spring-break travel, it will be way harder to say, ‘Hey, we’ve taken our masks off, let’s put them back on,’” Superintendent Jennifer Ivory-Tatum told the board. “Once we take the toothpaste out of the tube, we cannot put it back...

Ivory-Tatum said she’s been in close contact with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, specifically about the new omicron BA.2 variant and its prevalence, and has gotten positive feedback about the district’s plan to move forward.

That full article with a lot of additional information available here. A preview of that decision before the board meeting highlighted some of the context going in, from the News-Gazette.

Urbana's school board also voted to approve metal detectors this school year. From WCIA:

The Urbana High School Board of Education approved on Tuesday the implementation of metal detectors for the high school.

The board voted 6 to 1 to bring a special kind of metal detector at the school. The detectors are specifically designed for weapons detection as opposed to detecting cell phones and keys.

Surveys among students and staff showed a majority of them wanted something to be done to increase security at the school.

Full blurb available here. An overview of the meeting and vote is available here. More meeting information is available at the District 116 updates page here.

A student's petition on pandemic measures got a lot of attention last month. From WCIA:

Lily Wells is a sophomore at Urbana High School. She says at first, the school district handled the pandemic really well. But now, she says there are not enough safety measures in place.

Wells posted a petition online asking for required COVID-19 testing, KN95 masks and transparency. When she woke up the next day, 20 signatures turned into 120. Right now, she has almost 200 signatures. She says the other students are supportive but they suspect funding will be an obstacle. School officials are set to meet with Wells to discuss what can be done...

A district spokesperson says the school district has many measures in place to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, including weekly surveillance testing. You can find the district’s COVID Testing Plan & Protocols by clicking here, its Back to School Plans here and the district’s COVID dashboard here. All of that information can be found on the district website.

Full blurb here.

District 116 was highlighting recent efforts to collect donations for Ukrainian refugees on their twitter and facebook pages today:

The City of Urbana is offering new opportunities to honor students for good citizenship. From WCIA:

A new program will help honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy and support young people in developing skill sets to exercise their rights and responsibility as citizens.

The Urbana School District, along with the City of Urbana, launched the Mayoral Recognition Program on Monday to recognize Urbana High School (UHS) students who make meaningful contributions in the community.

The program is open to any UHS student who commits to a minimum of 30 hours of volunteer service during the academic year. Students with 30 hours of service will receive a Certificate of Service from Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin, USD #116 Superintendent Dr. Ivory-Tatum and UHS Principal Nance. Students with 50, 75 or 100 hours of service will also earn bronze, silver or gold status and receive an additional recognition item. 

Full blurb here.

Independent Schools:

COVID updates: Safety measures ahead of Spring Break from WCIA.

The Academy High school is moving into a new building according to WCIA:

An independent, non-profit high school in Champaign will move up the road into a bigger building this summer to keep up with growth of the student body.

Academy High has been at 2302 Fox Drive since 2017. It will move a half-mile north to 2001 Fox Drive. The school has partnered with BLDD Architects to renovate 20,000 square-feet in the new building, taking into account feedback of parents, students, staff, and other stakeholders. The school has launched a four-year, $2.2 million dollar fundraising campaign to support the move and renovations. But fundraising is not expected to prevent students from starting in the new building this fall.

Full article here.

Other local school news:

• In a recent Illinois Public Media’s News, Brews and Beatz, there was a discussion on the need for schools to adapt to the culture of their students to be more effective and welcoming.
• Before the mask mandate ended, Illinois Newsroom had an overview of the varying quarantine protocols by the local districts after earlier CDC guidance.
• The CU Schools Foundation named its distinguished alumni from Unit 4 and District 116. From Smile Politely.
• Illinois Newsroom had an overview of the teacher and substitute teacher shortage in East Central Illinois here.
• Illinois Newsroom also had a general overview of the teacher and substitute teacher shortage in Illinois here. Another article specifically highlighted the regional superintendent for Champaign and Ford counties here.
• Illinois will be looking to employ tutors to deal with pandemic related learning loss, according to the Illinois Newsroom.

Local College Updates

 

 

This post mainly has updates related to the University of Illinois governance this month. The UI Trustees were in the news regarding the budget. WCIA had an overview:

The University of Illinois Board of Trustees announced Thursday that it approved a plan to allocate more money to help students and faculty at all three U of I campuses in the state.

The board approved a request for more than $683 million in operating funds for the fiscal year 2023, which is 10 percent higher than the current year’s budget. The request is the first step in the annual budget process and will be submitted for consideration by the Illinois Board of Higher Education, the governor and the Illinois General Assembly...

The budget request also includes more than $673 million in capital funds that would pay for new buildings and renovations while also addressing deferred maintenance at the three system universities.

That full blurb here. A detailed look at the budget request from the Trustees meeting is available here. The Daily Illini had a recent overview of funding, salaries, and tuition issues with the University's budget here. Previous University news release and overview on the budget is available here.

The News-Gazette had an extensive and detailed look at the renovations coming to the former Undergraduate Library and the future plans for library space on campus here. Excerpt:

The last time the library checked in with staff and students, designs were still in the conceptual stage: the university was still exploring if all the elements would fit into the Undergrad Library space, Teper said.

Now the question isn’t an if, but how the collections will fit into the space and what the layout will look like aesthetically.

Officials have formulated preliminary plans on where the library’s student services and study locations will be distributed across campus by fall of 2022.

Full article here. The latest UIUC library news blurb is here with links to a page for updates here.

WCIA also had coverage on a local "student patrol" on campus hiring:

The Division of Public Safety at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is seeking to fill multiple positions on its Student Patrol unit.

Officials said the unit is made up of students who are interested in serving the campus community and keeping their peers safe.

According to officials, Student Patrol Officers will engage in several critical community safety services on campus, including SafeWalks, which provides free walking safety escorts to students who need to travel on campus at night.

More information and links at that full blurb here.

More local College and government related updates:

UIUC:

• The Old Feed Mill building was demolished. From WCIA.
• There was a protest last month for higher wages for University service workers covered by Illinois Newsroom.
• UIUC is not currently requiring proof of a booster shot for vaccine requirements according to WCIA.
• The Beckman Institute is looking for volunteers for a brain study with MRI scans. More at Smile Politely here.

Parkland:

• The Illinois Community College Board highlighted the need for its tech worker apprenticeship program. From WCCU.

Unit 4: New Year and New Superintendent

This post has news updates from Unit 4 and an overview from January's school board meeting. The biggest news is this month the Board of Education finalized its decision for the next Superintendent of the Unit 4 School District. From the From the Unit 4 announcement this past week:

The Unit 4 Board of Education has selected Mrs. Shelia Boozer to lead Unit 4 Schools pending negotiation and formal Board approval of her employment contract. She will succeed Dr. Susan Zola, who is retiring in June after leading the District for four years. 

Mrs. Boozer currently serves as the Director of Teaching & Learning and Technology in Springfield District 186. It is a large and diverse unit district that serves approximately 14,000 students in 36 schools. Over the past 23 years in education, she has had an excellent educational career as a teacher at the elementary and middle school levels, and assistant principal and principal at both the elementary and high school levels. Mrs. Boozer used her adeptness to build relationships with students and their families, as well as motivate and encourage staff and students to succeed.

More at the full announcement here. Video of the announcement is available on the Unit 4 website here (starting roughly at the 3:30 minute mark). The News-Gazette coverage highlighted her energy and the historic first:

She’ll be the first Black woman to serve as the district’s superintendent.

“I think it’s significant based on what’s happening across our nation,” [school board President Amy Armstrong] said. On Wednesday, “we saw the inauguration of the first Black female vice president, and I think for our student body that is majority Black, they can look up to a Black woman that is leading this district forward. And all of our students will be able to say, ‘I can do that.’

“It’s exciting for us that what you’re seeing at the national level is showing at the local level with women in leadership, and we’re excited that in Unit 4, we’re going to have our first Black female superintendent.”

Full article available here. Background on the final three applicants was covered in the News-Gazette here and there final presentations to the board are available on zoom video with link and password from the Unit 4 website here.

January Unit 4 Board of Education Meeting 1/11:

The January Board meeting (agenda available here, Part 1 video, Part 2 video) focused primarily on how to safely provide in person learning for the most students during the pandemic in an equitable manner. The News-Gazette had an overview that week:

For at least the first two weeks of the second semester, Unit 4 schools will remain completely remote, Superintendent Susan Zola said during Monday’s school board meeting.

“Similar to other districts across the state, we’re going to give our districts a few more weeks on our distance-learning platform,” Zola said, “and the first opportunity that we might see students back in person might be Jan. 19th.”

The board also voted unanimously to move forward with the district’s plan to implement an option for the superintendent to call for an e-learning day in lieu of a snow day or another type of emergency day.

That full article here.

Current Superintendent Susan Zola started her report around the 1:23:35 mark of the Part 1 video (there was a long closed session at the beginning of the meeting before returning to open session at the 1:11 mark). She explained the difficulties of coming up with a back to school plan where the needs of students are at odds with the pandemic limitations. She also noted that parents are at odds on what they believe is the best solution.

Zola made a special point to demand civil disagreement and constructive criticism as opposed to racist hate, threats, and wishing harm upon staff and board members.

Principals from the district gave their reports as well for different grade school and high school considerations starting at roughly the 1:32 mark in the Part 1 video. Both the Superintendent and the principals made clear there wasn't an ideal plan that could satisfy the competing desires and concerns of all parents. They explained how they tried to provide the best educational opportunities within the constraints of the pandemic between remote learning and limited in person classes, additional study halls and after school programs.

In the Q&A that followed there were concerns about access for the at least 129 homeless families with children in the district and waiting on approval for the surveillance testing program through the University. That testing system is still a few weeks away. There was also a discussion of construction delays during the pandemic and how it could impact opening schools in the future. For now, at least, the district is able to work within the available space given current restrictions.

There were several parents and district students who participated in public comments starting at the 2:43:50 mark in the Part 1 video and continued on into the Part 2 video. Parents pleaded for in-person learning for a host of reasons from their ability to work, organize their lives, for their kids to succeed in learning and for their family's sanity. Students had feedback about difficulties with remote learning, communicating with teachers, struggling to do well in their studies, and the logistics of classes and afterschool programs during the pandemic. Many missed their friends and teachers. WCIA had feedback from parents, students and the teachers union in their coverage. Excerpt:

Brylie Klaudt is an eighth grader at Edison Middle School. She said factors like accessibility, resources, and not being able to talk to both teachers and friends on a consistent basis make it difficult to be fully engaged as a student.

“I don’t think i’m getting the education I’m supposed to be getting,” Klaudt said. “I really feel like it’s just dumbing us down and shoving all this work in our faces with such a short period of time,”

Interviews and video segment with the full article here.

The school board's comments at roughly the 14:15 minute mark into the Part 2 video also repeatedly thanked the public who provided constructive and polite criticism. They noted multiple incidents by the public involving racist comments and unacceptable behavior. They asked for decorum and understanding in these trying times and to now that the board members they disagree with still have the best intentions for their students.

After board comments there was a quick explanation of few other school board meetings related to the Superintendent discussions. There are no videos for those meetings on the website as they were almost entirely in closed session and held at another location.

Coronavirus Updates 8/4

This post has a collection of coronavirus updates including the trends locally, regionally, at the State and federal level. At the end is also a list of tentative school reopening news links as well.

The local and regional coronavirus news is still better than many parts of the State of Illinois and the country in general. There was an update from the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (latest COVID information from C-UPHD here) in an interview with Elizabeth Hess on Urbana Public Television yesterday and available on YouTube here:

Illinois Newsroom had additional coverage on C-UPHD guidance last week here. Unfortunately the bad news is our local cases and hospitalizations are up recently. More details available from the News-Gazette website here and reporter Ben Zigterman's twitter feed here. Here's a snip of the chart's he posted today:

The News-Gazette had a more detailed local breakdown for the area with some recent remarks from the Governor today here.

Looking at the regions of Illinois for coronavirus data, we're still doing better than other regions by test positivity. This bug doesn't respect borders, so it depends entirely on people on whether the it moves from place to place, however. Illinois government and politics reporter Hannah Meisel has regular updates on her twitter page here:

The national numbers are disheartening after many were expecting the daily deaths to plateau at a low of roughly 500 per day, which is still pretty terrible compared to many of other Western industrialized nations at this point in their response. Unfortunately that plateau came and went and we have gone back up to roughly a thousand American deaths every day and rising. Where we go from here is completely dependent on public behavior when it comes to mitigation policies. More at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation here. This chart is from last week, so expect an updated projection later this week based on the latest numbers:

A lot of folks locally are concerned about schools reopening. The C-UPHD put out its guidance for school openings last month (Smile Politely had a brief overview and links here). More recent updates on school openings here:

• Daily Illini on UIUC summer athletic testing and infections.
• The Champaign Federation of Teachers statement opposing the Unit 4 reopening framework (available in full here).
• UIUC to require coronavirus test to enter buildings from today's News-Gazette.
• UIUC to shift most classwork to online and no return to classrooms after Thanksgiving break.
• Chambana Mom's had a recent overview of the Urbana reopening plans here.
• The News-Gazette had an overview of Parkland's reopening plan with most classes online and mask requirements here.

With rising cases and the future difficult to predict, it's hard to say how these plans will change over time, if reopenings will go on as planned or if they'll face sudden cancellations like the Major League Baseball season right out of the gate. Hopefully this post gives readers some helpful links to stay updated on the various numbers they may be interested in. As always the official County numbers are available from the C-UPHD website here and regular updates are posted on their facebook account 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.

Local Candidate Updates

There's a lot of new information, interviews, questionnaires and links for candidates in the April 2nd Consolidated Election (early voting has already begun!). The Champaign County Voter Alliance still has the best organized page for getting to know local candidates on your ballot (from the web, to social media, to email/phone contacts) here: Candidate Guide.

I've updated the Cheat Sheet: C-U Local's election page with candidates in the local government bodies we cover here. Below I have some links to various forums and events I've found on-line with the candidates and will be adding News-Gazette interviews as they're published. To jump directly to that click here.

First some recent candidate news items:

Champaign Mayoral incumbent Deb Feinen picked up support from local realtors. I don't know if it's related to the City Council looking into changing the rules on rental housing discrimination, but activists will likely assume a linkage.

Champaign Mayor Deb Feinen, who has nominal opposition from Azark Cobbs in her race for re-election this spring, reported two recent campaign contributions: $1,500 from the Realtor Political Action Committee in Springfield and a $1,035 in-kind contribution from the same group for a fundraiser this month.

Update: Tom Kacich had a little more on the mayoral fundraising in today's column:

Champaign Mayor Deb Feinen has collected four individual contributions of $1,000 or more in advance of the April 2 election, while her only opponent, Azark Cobbs, doesn't have an official campaign committee to accept campaign contributions.

Feinen has received a total of $4,535 from three different sources, the Realtor Political Action Committee, Champaign Firefighters Local 1260 and Attorney's Title Guaranty Fund Inc. It's likely she's also received smaller contributions, but those don't have to reported until mid-April, weeks after the mayoral election.

AFL-CIO endorsements, from last week's News-Gazette:

Matt Gladney was among six candidates on April's ballot to pick up endorsements Thursday from the AFL-CIO of Champaign County. Also getting the union workers' support:

— Deb Feinen for Champaign mayor

— Andrew Christensen and Jon Paul Youakim for Champaign City Council

— Karie Brown-Tess and Paul Poulosky for Urbana school board

Candidate Information and Links:

Here are links to videos and coverage of recent local candidate forums organized by the News-Gazette, Champaign County NAACP and League of Women Voters:

February 27th Candidate forums: (video from CGTV)

• Urbana School Board Candidates: Additional News-Gazette coverage here.
• Champaign School Board Candidates: Coverage here.
• Parkland Community College Board Candidates: Coverage here.

February 28th Candidate forums: (video from CGTV)

• Champaign City Council Candidates: Coverage here.
• Champaign Mayoral Candidates: Coverage here.
• Urbana Park District Candidates: (video only)

March 6th Candidate forums: 

• Illini Democrats forum for Champaign City Council candidates coverage here. 
• Champaign Federation of Teachers forum for Unit 4 candidates here. Facebook event information.
  

 
Candidate Meet & Greets:

• March 2nd Champaign Municipal Election Candidate Meet & Greet event video.


• March 9th Urbana Municipal Election Candidate Meet & Greet event video. Video is also available on their facebook page here.
• March 11th City Council Meet and Greet News-Gazette coverage. and Candidate Questionnaires. via the Washington Street Neighborhood facebook page.

News-Gazette Candidate Interviews and Questionnaires: N-G election webpage (See also CCVA Questionnaires here and Smile Politely Questionnaires here, and Washington Street Questionnaires here):

Champaign Mayor:

• 3/22 Azark Cobbs Interview
• Deb Feinen Questionnaire

Champaign City Council:

• 3/8 Matt Gladney Interview and Questionnaire
• 3/9 Andrew Christensen Interview and Questionnaire
• 3/13 Tom Bruno Interview and Questionnaire
• 3/15 Kenton Elmore Interview and Questionnaire
• 3/19 Jon Paul Youakim Interview and Questionnaire
• Will Kyles Questionnaire
• Michael La Due Questionnaire
• Pattsi Petrie Questionnaire

Champaign School Board - Unit 4:

• 3/12 Michael Foellmer Interview and Questionnaire
• 3/14 Elizabeth Sotiropoulos Interview (candidate's correction) and Questionnaire
• 3/16 Jennifer Enoch Interview and Questionnaire
• 3/20 Lee McDonald Interview and Questionnaire
• 3/21 Kathy Shannon Interview and Questionnaire  
• Amy Armstrong Questionnaire
• Chris Kloeppel Questionnaire
• Sergio Gonzalez
• Alicia R. Robinson

Champaign Park District:

• Tim McMahon Questionnaire
• DeShawn Williams Questionnaire

Urbana School Board - District 116:

• Sub District 2
  Tori Exum-Johnson Interview
• Sub District 4
  Anne Hall Questionnaire
  Karie Brown-Tess Questionnaire
• Sub District 6
  Felipe Menanteau Questionnaire  
  Paul Poulosky Questionnaire

Urbana Park District:

• Roger Digges Questionnaire
• Michael Walker Questionnaire
• Cedric Stratton Questionnaire

Unit 4 Admin Raises

The Unit 4 School Board has apparently put off raises for administrators that raised some eyebrows earlier in the week. From the News-Gazette on Monday:

Raises for Unit 4 administrators on board agendaIf the school board signs off on Superintendent Susan Zola's recommendation, some Unit 4 district officials could soon be in line for 4 percent raises.

The agenda for tonight's first board meeting of 2019 includes an item calling for raises for "all eligible administrators," retroactive to July 1, 2018.

Asked by News-Gazette Media which administrators would be eligible for raises, Champaign schools spokeswoman Emily Schmit said the list would not be made public until after tonight's meeting.

Full blurb here. The next day after the meeting the followup appeared to shed some light on what the concerns might have been, especially in light of the recent struggles between the Teacher's Union and the district on their latest contract (more on that here). From yesterday's News-Gazette:

Champaign school board puts admin raises on hold; no word on why
...
School board President Chris Kloeppel said the item would appear on a future agenda but didn't specify when. Questions from The News-Gazette about the raises, who they would affect and why they were delayed went unanswered by the district.

The district's announcement of administrative raises came after months of controversy between Unit 4 and the Champaign Federation of Teachers, who decried a "top-heavy" approach to district management during contract talks last year. Despite the issue being tabled, CFT Second Vice President Michelle Anderson gave a statement during Monday's meeting, citing a recent state law that caps raises in the last four years of an educator's career at 3 percent and penalizes districts who provide end-of-career raises higher than that.

"CFT had to work hard to help our off-schedule members receive a 3 percent raise," she said. "The administrators are under the same guidelines as teachers — this demonstrates your questionable priorities."

Full article here, with more details on other board items. Board minutes and agenda available at the Unit 4 Board webpage when posted.

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.