Unit 4 Controversies

 

This post has the latest updates on the controversies surrounding Unit 4 and recent meeting coverage from February and early March with the Board of Education. See also our previous Cheat Sheet post on Unit 4 updates over the past several months. It covers many presentations on programs that are working (and possibly expanding), transportation challenges, and Illinois State Board of Education and other data on test scores and various achievement gaps.

Booker T. Washington Leadership Change:

There are a lot of unknowns, speculation, and rumors about what may or may not be happening to the school administrators at Booker T. Washington school. News-Gazette Editor Jeff D'Alessio laid out some of the challenges in reporting on the subject in an WDWS interview (about 45 minutes into the Penny for Your Thoughts podcast), especially when the district refuses to comment on personnel matters. 

The one thing D'Alessio seemed sure about is that a decision for a leadership change has been made by Unit 4 at BTW. The BTW Principal, Jamie Roundtree, has now hired an attorney over the issue, according to WAND. Vice Principal Rebecca Ramey is the other BTW administrator caught up in the possible leadership change.

Rallies and Clashing Views on Superintendent:

The February Board of Education meeting was preceded by a rally outside of the administration building in support of Booker T. Washington school administrators believed to be being removed (at least from that particular school). Coverage of the rally and concerns is available from the News-Gazette, WCCU, and WAND respectively. 

Supporters of Superintendent Sheila Boozer derided the rally as part of efforts to remove the current Superintendent as opposed to the stated goals of protecting BTW administrators. A local social media group appears to have been the target of some of the complaints. Links to a separate Change.org online petition criticizing and calling for the firing of the Superintendent were also shared there.

Imani Bezzell, a long-time local activist and supporter of reforms at Unit 4, led the public comment portion of the meeting off with a passionate defense of the Superintendent matched with a condemnation of the rally goers. She stated up front that she arranged to have unlimited time with the school board. The microphone typically switches off shortly after the 3 minute clock runs out and the camera shifts away from the public speaker's podium back to the board. When this occurred for Bezzell the Board President, Dr. Gianna Baker, had the the microphone turned back on and the camera angle turned back to the Superintendent's supporter.

This caused some confusion and anger as later speakers (including administration critics) were admonished by the board parliamentarian and some of the Superintendent's supporters in the audience for going over their time later during the public comment period. While some government bodies may, with a vote, "suspend the rules" to allow longer speaking time for public participants, the Unit 4 board rules allow the board president to unilaterally make such an allowance, even for a single individual (see Unit 4 Policies section 2:230).

The meeting video is available here, with Unit 4 school board agendas and related documents available here. It was another long meeting with a couple of important presentations in the middle again. Here are the video timestamps:

• Superintendent's Report began the meeting.
  
  
• First Public Comment began at 14:25.
  
  
• Appointment of Director of Custodial/Grounds intro, approval, comments at 1:07:00.
  
  
• Reports:
• Operation Hope report at 1:11:40.
• LIFT report at 1:48:50.
  
  
• New Business / Action Items voted on at 2:41:40.
  
  
• 2nd Round of Public Comment began at 3:13:15.
  
  
• Board comments at 3:25:30.

Contentious March Meeting:

The first Unit 4 meeting of March (video, agenda packets) also had more contentious moments and (the public portion) ended with the resignation of board member Jamar Brown and some heartfelt statements on that by other board members. WCIA had coverage specifically of that resignation here. The board is responsible for filling the vacancy in the next couple months. WCIA had a short blurb on the district's statement on the resignation and filling the vacancy here.

WCIA also had a write-up and overview of the March 4th meeting here. Excerpt:

he Champaign Board of Education hosted its bimonthly meeting on Monday. Among other things, the board discussed liability insurance, construction bids and the purchase of outdoor digital marquee signs for schools.

However, the meeting was marked with a heated discussion between two members and came to a shocking and emotional end when a board member resigned...

The board deliberated on lowering an insurance limit for parents and guardians who have to take their children to school due to unreliable bus service. An agreement allows for parents and guardians to be reimbursed for any expenses related to this transportation as long as parents and guardians have auto insurance that pays no less than $100,000 for bodily injury and property damage...

However, the proposal did not pass after a deadlocked vote.

That full meeting write-up here. The News-Gazette also had coverage of the resignation and meeting:

A meeting that opened with Superintendent Shelia Boozer’s customary slideshow, ticking off all the reasons why “it’s a great day day in Unit 4,” ended with one board member expressing disappointment in what she called the district’s “lack of transparency,” another announcing his resignation less than a year after being elected and a third questioning her own future...

“After my first term, I dubbed that experience as ‘the best thing that I’d never wanted to do,’” Brown said. “Unfortunately, the second time around, I cannot say I’m having the same experience. This time around has been filled with mistrust, missteps and misinformation. During this time, the school board has taken much criticism over many different topics from various stakeholders. Some of it was warranted, some of it was not and there’s even some that’s been self-inflicted.”

That full article here. Another excerpt from Jamar Brown's resignation from WCIA:

"The district’s decision to not maintain a level of humility, compassion, and adjustability has forced us to focus on adult-orient issues instead of student’ centered ones that could help raise reading and math scores and comprehension, the ones that ensure that every child in our district is seen, heard and respected and the one where we asses ourselves to make sure we have the right people in the right position where they can thrive and in turn pass that along to our students. So because of this, I no longer see value in continuing in this capacity. So please accept this as my resignation from the Champaign Unit 4 Board of Education effective today, at the conclusion of open session."

This meeting was originally rescheduled from the end of last month due to a lack of quorum (enough members able to attend to carry out official board duties). During the school year the board typically meets on both the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month. This added to some concerns by one side of the insurance liability issue (that failed in a 3-3 tie vote) that the long delayed item was voted on when one of the supporters of changing the policy was absent.

Other Unit 4 Updates:

• One of the participants in the BTW school campus shooting incident was sentenced, according to WCIA.
  
  
• There was additional WAND coverage of support for BTW administrators at a recent PTA meeting there.
• The News-Gazette had a round up of average teacher salaries in area school districts.
  
  
• Unit 4 statement on the death of local child and education advocate Devon "Big Wayne" Turner from WCIA coverage.

Election Updates

A reminder that early voting has already begun for the March 19th, 2024 primary election. There are local, state, and federal races on the ballot from precinct committeepersons to presidential delegates. This post has an update on write-in and other candidates you may see on your ballot in Champaign County. You can see your sample ballot at the Champaign County Clerk's website here.

This post follows up on a previous election update that included a link to the League of Women Voters candidate forum for Democratic candidates competing to get on the general election ballot for County Coroner in the fall. 

Write-in and Other Candidates:

Tom Kacich had an overview of some write-in candidates folks may find on their ballot within Champaign County for federal and State races (depending on where they fall in those federal and state districts). The Champaign County Clerk's website has a list of the write-in candidates here if you can't access the News-Gazette article:

• United States Representative 15th District - Kevin A. Gaither (Democratic)
• Illinois State Representative 102nd District - Adam Niemerg (Republican)
• Illinois State Representative 102nd District - Edward "Ed" Blade (Republican)
• Illinois State Representative 102nd District - Jim Acklin (Republican)
• County Board District 8 - Latrina Peete (Republican)
• Precinct Committeeperson City of Champaign 12 - Latrina Peete (Republican)
• Precinct Committeeperson Cunningham 23 - Ronald Vlach (Republican)

You'll notice that there a few local government races with write-in candidates on your ballot too, but only if you live in those particular districts. You can look up which districts you are in and get sample ballots for either party's primary races on the Clerk's website here. There is likely a non-partisan ballot available for folks who live in the Northern Piatt Fire Protection District, where there is a referendum question outside of the party primary races.

The VoteChampaign non-partisan voter guide (a project in collaboration with the local League of Women Voters) has information, questionnaire answers and links to more information on contested races within Champaign County. The Republican primary ballot for a representative in the Illinois 13th Congressional District is contested.  We only cover local government on the Cheat Sheet, but there is other local coverage of federal candidates. For example, the Daily Illini had an overview of the Republican federal congressional primary candidates and and an interview with one of them recently for the 13th District here. Arguably the top contested race at the county level in this primary is on the Democratic ballot between two candidates vying for the coroner's office.

Precinct Committeepersons:

People may notice a number of precinct committee races on their ballots, including a handful contested on both the Republican and Democratic party ballots. These local party positions help choose a party chair and have votes in how the local county parties operate. The major parties tend to be "big tent" organizations with internal competing factions and ideologies.

County Board member Jeff Wilson was on the WDWS program "Penny For Your Thoughts" yesterday (2/29/2024) explaining the importance of these committeeperson seats and how their votes are weighed when voting on a party chair or other local party decisions. This applies to both major parties in Champaign County. The countywide precinct committeeperson makeup can determine if a local party apparatus aligns with certain candidates or more conservative, liberal, or moderate ideological views.

Later in that same interview, Wilson also commented on local election integrity. He addressed a caller's concern that the local system was rigged and argued that people should volunteer to be election judges and watchers to watch how the process works. He pointed to the chain of custody procedures and bipartisan collaboration in the process to ensure votes are fairly processed and counted.

Early Voting has Begun | March 19, 2024 Primary

 Early voting has already begun for the March 19th, 2024 primary election. VoteChampaign and the League of Women Voters of Champaign County have a non-partisan candidate guide available to look at all of the contested local races. It also includes a list of contested and uncontested races you may find on your ballot in Champaign County here. Sample ballots are available from the County Clerk's website under My Voter Information here.

For a list of Early Voting locations, times, dates, and mail-in ballot information and more, see the County Clerk's Many Ways To Vote webpage.

The primary election generally pits candidates of the same party against each other to be on the general election ballot later that year. There are likely to be more contested elections between nominees of each party in the November 5th general election. The big local contested race in this primary is between two Democratic candidates for Champaign County Coroner: Laurie Brauer and Seon Williams.

The League of Women Voters had a candidate forum with both Democratic candidates last week:

The VoteChampaign / LWV non-partisan candidate guide also had questionnaire answers from both Laurie Brauer and Seon Williams.

Precinct Committeeperson candidates probably do not get enough attention in local political coverage. They play an important role in organizing each party's get out the vote activities and voting at county level political party meetings. This is why some county parties may seem more extreme or moderate. It can also play a role in which internal party factions / ideologies control nominees appointed to vacancies.

The vacancy issue has been especially critical with local Democratic Party politics on the County Board with many younger and up and coming candidates being elected recently. When a younger elected official moves to a new home, even within the county, they often find themselves in a new district. If their career takes them elsewhere, even to other county positions, the Party plays a primary role in nominating who will replace the seat previously held by that party (under current rules).

Unit 4 Updates

This post covers some of the more recent months of news and meetings for Unit 4 and its Board of Education. It breaks down some of the longer meetings, such as the nearly 5 hour meeting with reports on the AVID program and Unit 4's "Report Card" data from the Illinois State Board of Education. It also has a breakdown of the nearly 3 1/2 hour meeting that focused primarily on the transportation department and its sheer lack of capacity to fulfill its mission.

We'll start with the most recent meeting and transportation updates, move on to the October ISBE Report Card data, and finally to November and the new call for "drastic" changes to the Unit 4 school assignment system.

Other news coverage and related items are at the end of this post. This post does not get into recent rumors of retaliation against the administration of Booker T. Washington STEM Academy or the petition to fire the Superintendent for that and other issues. There will likely be a follow up post after next week's school board meeting when we can get more responses, confirm what did or did not happen, and get more information.

Transportation and the 1/29 BoE Meeting:

This meeting was certainly informative on the transportation department. I certainly feel up to date on the issues they have been facing now and over the last several years. It got into a lot of details of the new team's work over the past 2-3 years, for example. (video here, agendas available here, transportation presentation slides here). The News-Gazette had coverage of the transportation presentation. Excerpt:

It’s all hands on deck in Unit 4’s Transportation Department, but bus delays and cancellations are inevitable with the district down 21 drivers.

Administrative staff are filling in as daily drivers in the ongoing struggle to get kids to school on time and, as of this semester, the department has decided to avoid cancellations as much as possible in favor of delays...

The district needs more bus monitors too — 27 more, to be exact — but Walker said the focus has been more on drivers since that’s who they need to get buses on the road.

That full article here.

Throughout the presentation and board comments afterward, there was a lot of criticism for the community for complaining, shame parents for being upset, and outright dismissing people demanding solutions. On the positive side, I think they showed strong support for their transportation team that simply does not have the capacity to do what is being asked of them or their mission: to get kids to school and on time.

There were pretty clear hints on the policy side that this all seems to be leading to the "drastic" changes suggested in prior board meetings. For some this raises fears of returning back to "neighborhood schools" while still not addressing the historical ramifications of segregation in Champaign.

Superintendent Boozer highlighted plans of bringing back "The Promise Zone" program towards the beginning and the end of the meeting. She touted it as being data driven and targeted solutions as opposed to cookie cutter solutions. Informational slide from her remarks (click to enlarge). 

The old Citizen4 blog still has an archive of Unit 4 information and coverage over previous years of debates and challenges, including the previous push for "The Promise Zone" as a sort of implementation of activist Imani Bezzell's "Great Campus" concept from roughly a decade before (e.g. mentioned in this 2006 News-Gazette article).

That Citizen4 blog post also has links to previous Promise Zone materials (video link of the presentation to the February 2017 school board meeting (presentation begins at the 21 minute mark of the video, presentation slides, list of principles, overview, etc.) that may be instructive on what the concept once was, though not necessarily how it may be attempted this time around. This doesn't appear to be related to the similarly named HUD program, or at least no connection I have found yet.

There was a financial audit report between the public comment and the Transportation report for anyone interested in that (the full audit report, overview, and supporting documents available on the agenda page).

The meeting was nearly 3 1/2 hours long, so here's a quick list of highlights and approximate timestamps to help people with limited time navigate the meeting videos (part 1 and part 2):

• The meeting began with the usual updates, good news, and boosting student achievements.
  
  
• At around 14 minutes Superintendent Boozer highlighted "The Promise Zone" as program they will be bringing back to use data to direct targeted intervention (e.g. on low scores, absenteeism, etc.). This was touted as a way to address the district's severe achievement gap among African American students.
  
  
• At around 22 minutes was the single public comment of the meeting (there were none in the second opportunity towards the end of the meeting). There was concern about the "drastic changes" proposed at a previous meeting and a lack of follow up. The speaker argued that the public hadn't heard anything since or seen any related agenda items. There was also criticism of the Superintendent's blaming of teachers and a demand for accountability.
  
  
• After a bit of a technical delay the extensive Transportation report began at about 1 hour and 6 minutes. The introduction covers the main points about a lack of capacity to meet its mission. They acknowledge that they only get about 80% of the kids to school and on time.
  
  
• Around 1 hour and 54 minutes in is the Q&A with the board.
  
  
• Around 2 hours and 58 minutes in the board moved on to news business and the rest of the agenda if you're interested in pavement and roofing repair projects.
  
  
• The last round of board comments starts around the 15 minute mark of the second video. Most of that involved descriptions of the Board visits to Unit 4 school campuses, although there were some remarks about issues discussed earlier if folks are interested (e.g. the liability requirement on reimbursements or Superintendent Boozer touting "The Promise Zone" once again).

ISBE Report Cards and the 11/13/2023 Meeting:

The nearly 5 hour November school board meeting did not have public participation at either the beginning or end opportunities. During the communications section, Board President Baker expressed her regret for her previous remarks and assured the public that she wants to hear from them. She stated her belief that she should also be held accountable and will try to re-earn the trust of those who felt dismissed. The rest of the meeting was almost entirely composed of reports.

There was a detailed explanation of the Property Tax Levy, how that impacts the amount of taxes people may end up paying on their homes, how the burden is split between commercial and residential properties, and assessment value processes. If your property's assessed value went up, you may pay more taxes, even though it's likely that the tax rate itself will drop slightly. 

The Tax Levy report begins at roughly 25 minute and 40 second mark of the meeting video. Page 3 of the PDF presentation has a helpful chart of the "Life Cycle of a Property Tax Bill" from the school district's perspective. The Kathy's Mailbag feature in the News-Gazette also recently discussed property tax levy questions.

The mathematical acrobatics of tax levies versus tax rates can baffle even those familiar with the multi-step process from estimates, to statutory limits, to final figures. Previous Cheat Sheet post on Tax Levies versus Tax Rates here.

There was a report on hiring and vacancies around the 49 minute mark.

There was a long presentation on the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program staring around the 1 hour and 16 minute mark (AVID presentation slides here). Kids from the program talked about their experiences, including the eye-opening experience of visiting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in New Orleans recently. The AVID program exists across schools in the district to connect kids with the tools and skills towards the college and career opportunities it also highlights. It's difficult to quickly sum up, so I recommend watching the presentation if you have the time.

After that and starting around the 2 hour and 12 minute mark was the presentation on the ISBE report card data, technical overview of what that data means, some analysis, and breakdowns. It was split up over a couple hours to answer 3 "Essential Questions" beginning with how ISBE determines school designations (presentation slides here with lots of helpful graphs of the data).

The second section dealt with what the data tells us and began around the 2 hour and 47 minute mark. The presentation mainly focused on the ISBE Report Card data, but not entirely. The presenters also included additional data compiled by the ECRA Group comparing the district to 6 other Illinois districts with similar size and demographics that painted the district's struggles in a more flattering light. They showed the district closer to state averages in most categories than those similar districts, which were struggling even more in many other categories than Unit 4 (e.g. slides 27, 28, 35, and 40). 

The third part focused on the district's work towards its strategic plan and the years long process of seeing results from many of the newer initiatives in the data. The Q&A portion began around the 3 hour and 49 minute mark. The board had a variety of concerns and technical questions that took up most of the rest of the meeting. One glaring issue throughout the presentation that raised concerns was the continuing achievement gap, especially for Black, Multilanguage Learners and others.

The rest of the agenda was quickly finished after the 4 hour and 36 minute mark and was wrapped up in less than 10 minutes (consent agenda, some final announcements / communications, etc.).

December BoE Meeting:

In the opening communications of the 12/11/2023 meeting, Superintendent Boozer had an overview of the E-Learning Emergency Days in case of expected inclement weather (at exactly 11 minutes into the meeting video here). This policy became a point of contention in January when the district announced an E-Learning day after many kids had already boarded busses or were on their way to schools. The slide from the presentation related to this policy notes that "the Superintendent will announce the possibility of an E-Learning Day as soon as practical (but no later than 2:00 p.m. the day before). This will provide time for staff to gather resources and prepare accordingly. It will also allow families to make necessary arrangements."

This policy was not followed and staff and families were caught off guard when the possibility and reality of an E-Learning Emergency Day was announced that morning after kids were on their way to schools. From WCIA coverage:

Parents at both Urbana and Champaign schools were stopped in their tracks when the districts sent out a call to move to E-learning around 7 a.m.

Thomas-Stagg has two boys in Champaign schools. She said it wasn’t just the fact that administrators called off in-class learning, but her son’s computer was still at his school, making E-learning a tough ask...

“So many of the teachers that I know were already at school and were preparing for the day,” Thomas-Stagg said, “and then had to figure out, do I have to go back and get my kid from preschool?”

That full article is here. Adding to the frustration, many interpreted the Superintendent's email explaining the reasons for the E-Learning day as blaming the teachers for being unprepared. The News-Gazette also had coverage in its Meeting Minutes feature discussing where districts get their weather information to make these kind of decisions.

Towards the end of the Superintendent's presentation, at the 29 minute and 25 second mark, she took a moment to highlight some specific concerns. The topic was on the ongoing transportation shortage, cancellations, and delays. She acknowledged the hardships to local families and assured them that the district is pursuing solutions and doing everything possible. She also addressed technical concerns about the transportation reimbursement program for parents and insurance liability costs.

This discussion included an important explanation by Linda Matkowski, Chief Financial Officer at Unit 4, is that the transportation reimbursement is not the same as an employee's tax free mileage reimbursement, but as a 3rd party contractor where it's considered taxable income.

This became an extended conversation about district transportation and ended with Board Member Heather Vazquez suggesting that the district reevaluate the school assignment process and Superintendent Boozer embracing starting a process to look towards "something drastic" in that regard. Later she reiterated that it may take "something very drastic" to the school assignment system. Vazquez stated that the Board understands that it is drastic, but also timely.

The embrace of moving forward with a new process of making drastic changes to the school assignment system comes less than one year after the turbulent reorganization approved earlier in 2023. The News-Gazette had coverage of that approval in January 2023 here. 

After rounds of fierce feedback from parents who feared sudden disruption, the district changed course. The firm came back to Unit 4 with a proposal that would move few elementary students next year, instead of 64 to 79 percent of them.

The Unit 4 board unanimously approved the new assignment scenario at Monday’s meeting, which will take effect in 2023-24. 

“I think if we had done any other scenario right now it would’ve felt like we were doing this to the community, and not with,” board member Gianina Baker said after the vote.

The consultant company that helped craft that process, Cooperative Strategies, still has an overview of that process. It is still online and available here with other informational links. Unfortunately, the last Unit 4 Cheat Sheet post was way back in the middle of that process (although it provides a bit of a snapshot of some of the turbulence).

The December school board meeting also followed up on November's ISBE Report Card discussion at the 3 hour and 9 minute mark of the meeting video. That previous meeting had run extremely long (nearly 5 hours in the public portion) and there were more questions. If you're interested in more follow up Q&A of that presentation it's available.

The News-Gazette's coverage of the nearly 4 hour long December meeting is available here.

Other Unit 4 News and Updates:

• The Assistant Principal of Central High School had an opinion piece in the News-Gazette on the primacy parental involvement in educational outcomes.
  
  
• The CU Schools Foundation recognized impressive Unit 4 alumni, according to the News-Gazette.
  
  
• The News-Gazette also reported on Central High School students that have started a petition against digital hall passes over surveillance and other concerns.
  
  
• The News-Gazette had updates on the metal detectors now on-site and being installed at local middle schools in their 1/12 eEdition. This follows other coverage of security upgrades in the wake of the BTW shooting incident here and metal detector expansion here. The December BoE meeting included a presentation and approval of the Raptor Visitor Management system (around the 2:48 mark of the video).
  
  
• There was a second proposal for ARPA funding from the City of Champaign towards programs in Unit 4. This followed the initial proposal falling through due to a lack of staffing to follow through on taking advantage of the previous City of Champaign "Blueprint" funding. The News-Gazette and WCIA both had coverage of the second attempt of the district to use that funding. I'm hoping the next Unit 4 post will have some updates on this.

City of Urbana February Updates

A lot of recent coverage has been over a possible ceasefire resolution regarding the conflict in Gaza and the approval of the Hope Village tiny homes project. This post starts off with crime updates (with rates continuing to decline) and the new chief of the Urbana Police Department calling for increased crime analysis, technology, staff, and funding to prepare for the next cycle of crime.

There are two City Council meetings tonight: a rescheduled City Council meeting (agenda packet) and a Committee of the Whole meeting (agenda packet). With municipal governments, the Committee of the Whole is usually the first step of introducing and discussing resolutions. If there's agreement those resolutions are moved forward for final approval at a regular City Council meeting at a later date (ensuring time for public input and other statutory requirements). 

Crime Updates:

There's a broader look at gun violence in Champaign-Urbana and Champaign County in our Gun Violence Updates post from last week here. The News-Gazette had an update on Urbana's crime situation a few weeks ago:

The Urbana Police Department reports seeing a one percent decline in violent crime in 2023 compared to 2022, as well as a nine percent decline in property crime...

But Boone, who was sworn into office in July, noted that Urbana’s downswing is part of a national trend in which a pandemic-era uptick in crime across the county is now subsiding...

Whether it be adding more sworn staff, civilian analysts or license plate readers, the Urbana Police Department will need funding from the city if it is going to update its operations into the state Boone said it needs to be.

That full article here. Urbana PD presented an crime update to the Urbana City Council in early November (jump to video). A graph from that presentation shows similar drops as in Champaign and national trends:

More charts and data are available on the UPD's facebook page here. WCIA had an overview of the crime statistics here. Below is more information and coverage about the December City Council meetings where police funding was a primary topic, especially for public comment.

The News-Gazette's continuing series on local guns being allegedly "lost" or "stolen," has included some examples in Urbana from unlocked vehicles and realizing they were missing from their cars and homes.

Calls to Support a Ceasefire Resolution:

The News-Gazette covered some of the public input for and against a ceasefire resolution by the Urbana City Council at the 1/8 City Council meeting:

Over the objection of Mayor Diane Marlin, this week’s Urbana city council meeting included a 14-minute presentation and brief Q&A calling for a ceasefire in the Middle East.

And then came the two-hour public comment period, during which one of Marlin’s reasons for not wanting the item on the council agenda at all — the divide it would cause in the community — played out.

Of the 35 residents of Urbana (and several from Champaign) who stepped up to the microphone to let their opinions be heard, nine objected to the city passing a formal resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, many agreeing with Marlin’s contention that “this is not city business” and noting that a ceasefire would only benefit Hamas militants.

That full article here. There was additional coverage of the public input that continued into the 1/16 Committee of the Whole here.

Without wading into the debate on the ceasefire resolution itself, I would like to highlight the arguments on the role of the city government presented at these meetings. Generally, those in support of the resolution took a broad interpretation of the City's role as a representative body and democratic institution. While often admitting that the City lacks the authority to change foreign policy, it can take a symbolic position on matters important to its constituents. They point to varying precedent of the City in doing so.

Many in opposition to the ceasefire resolution took a narrow view of the City Council's role to focus on issues more directly related to City business. They point to the Council's own statement of purpose and a litany of other conflicts, foreign policy issues, etc. the Council has remained silent on. They viewed the community as too divided for the City government to take a stand in the name of the entire community, regardless.

There were folks on both sides of the ceasefire resolution who suggested room for compromise on the language, including Rabbi Alan Cook (1/19 News-Gazette coverage, video) and Allen Axelrod (in a 1/21 Letter to the Editor).

Hope Village "Tiny Home" Approval:

From 1/3 News-Gazette Coverage:

After one last impassioned round of objections by some residents of Champaign-Urbana’s oldest African American subdivision, the tiny-homes-for-the-homeless project known as Hope Village is a go.

At Tuesday night’s city council meeting, Urbana aldermen signed off on the final development plan and subdivision plat for the first-of-its-kind development of permanent supportive housing in north Urbana for people who are medically fragile and chronically homeless to live and get the help they need...

Like during December’s marathon meeting, those who spoke out against the project Tuesday focused on the disruption it will cause in the neighborhood, given that the access road in and out of Hope Village will be Carver Drive, one of the subdivision's main roads.

That full News-Gazette article on the 1/2 meeting here and coverage of the 12/18 meeting here. WCIA had similar coverage of the 1/2 meeting here and the 12/18 meeting here. From the News-Gazette's December coverage highlighting the interests at odds on this project location:

“I’ve lived in this community 50 years and every single effort to provide housing for homeless people has been met with bigotry,” said former council member Esther Patt, director of the Champaign-Urbana Tenant Union. “The completely irrational belief that once a person becomes homeless, they become bad. Lousy neighbors.”

“We’re not a piece of dry mucus to be flicked off your fingers at your will — and will not be treated as such,” said Jacqueline Curry, who spoke of north end residents’ desire to “be heard and not ignored” about the impact the project would have on the Carver Park neighborhood.

There's both a unfortunate local history of treating homeless as a threat and also ignoring the Black community's voice in matters of community investment, planning, and more. Finding another viable location in Urbana for a project like this may be difficult or even impossible because other neighborhoods have more power to block it (or for the City to even risk suggesting it). Likewise the stigma of homelessness may also play a role that cuts across other divisions. It may be worth looking at how to quantify and address both issues going forward.

Police Funding:

Earlier in December the City Council heard proposals from the new Urbana Police Chief about additional funding to hire more officers and other matters. From Illinois Public Media's coverage:

Urbana Police Chief Larry Boone asked the Urbana City Council Monday night to amend the budget to hire four additional police officers.

The Council deferred the decision until a national consulting firm hired by the department releases a report with staffing recommendations...

In 2020, The Urbana Police Department, in collaboration with nonprofit C-U at Home, Rosecrance Behavioral Health Services, Carle Foundation Hospital and other Champaign County law enforcement units planned to create a program called One Door Crisis Response System, a co-responder model in which trained crisis workers would partner with police to provide care to people experiencing mental health crises. 

However, the program was never launched. Administrative conversations about One Door stalled in early 2021, partially due to a lack of coordination among agencies as well as uncertainty about funding, according to reporting from Invisible Institute in 2022.  

That full article here. The ongoing theme from activists is a demand for more funding for social services, programs, and solutions beyond more policing and jailing. The News-Gazette had an article previewing the meeting that included an overview of the Chief's spending proposals here.

The News-Gazette also had an editorial defending the new Chief against what they considered anti-police "vitriol," while not taking a stance on his funding proposals yet. They pointed to an upcoming study that may be worth considering before the City Council makes a decision on those.

Back in November, IPM had an article highlighting the BerryDunn study and the trend towards mental health and other professionals to handle certain situations where armed officers may be less ideal. Excerpt:

“We’re coming to understand that police departments may have taken on responsibilities that aren’t necessarily best suited for police response,” [BerryDunn law enforcement consultant Michele Weinzetl] said. “In some cases, it may be that the police shouldn’t go to it at all.” 

Many police departments are dealing with unprecedented vacancy rates and tightening budgets, which cause them to struggle to keep up with call-for-service workloads, according to BerryDunn’s website. 

However, the Urbana Police Department’s budget has been increasing steadily each year — rising over $2.5 million between 2021 and estimates for 2023. 

That full article here. This is in addition to other community collaborations that Chief Boone had also proposed such as the "clergy patrol" (ride-alongs with clergy members) and working with landlords and improving living conditions, mentioned in the News-Gazette back in November.

Other City Government News:

• There was a presentation to the City Council on the Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report at the 1/16 Committee of the Whole meeting (jump to video). They highlighted what amounts to the executive summary beginning at page 14 (page 20 of the PDF).
  
  
• WCIA had a blurb announcing that the City of Urbana has begun its own process of redistricting City Council districts based on the 2020 Census data. As Illinois Public Media reported earlier in January, this redistricting won't be affected by any potential second Census count if one happens in Urbana. That would likely only impact funding for programs based on Census population counts.
  
  
• Community comes out to City Council meeting in support of a skate park in Urbana. The Daily Illini coverage includes the discussion on whether the Urbana Park District would be the first step towards implementing that idea. The News-Gazette had its own coverage of the skate park supporters in its Meeting Minutes feature here.
  
  
• Former Deputy City Clerk Darcy Sandefur was appointed to fill out the remainder of retiring City Clerk Phyllis Clark. More on Clerk Clark and her retirement in the News-Gazette here.
  
  
• The Daily Illini had coverage of the City of Urbana's portion of a IDHS grant to Champaign County to help provide support for asylum seekers.
  
  
• The Daily Illini had coverage of the 9/25 City Council meeting: Urbana City Council talks pride, streetlights and more. It noted the approval of funding the rebuilding of fire stations (a more detailed look at that grant and the approval process from the agenda packet starting on page 133 of the PDF). The News-Gazette and WCIA both had articles on the debate on possible better or more appropriate uses for this specific grant funding.
  
  
• Since our last update (it's been a while) there have been more delays with the Hotel Royer project at the site of the old Lincoln Hotel in downtown Urbana. The News-Gazette had updates on delays in June and July, and a City Council extension in its City Council coverage in its 8/4 and 9/1 Meeting Minutes article. WCIA had coverage of tax issues surrounding the project in November here and more delays in December here. The News-Gazette delay coverage in December pointed out that it looks like the first reservations aren't available until the end of June this summer.

City of Champaign Winter Updates

The past few months have seen new district map, some important new appointments, updates on gun violence, and community investment. There will be a separate post for Unit 4 and the City of Champaign's gun violence funding issues.

The 2024 Primary Election (and first day of Spring!) is coming up on March 19th. Check out the VoteChampaign / League of Women Voters Candidate Guide for non-partisan candidate information. The City of Champaign's City Council and Mayoral elections are during odd years, but there are other local government races on the ballot.

Redistricting:

The City Council approved a new district map for the city this month. From the city's Engage Champaign website:

On January 9, 2024, the City Council adopted new geographic boundaries for City Council Districts. This approval followed a lengthy project to gather input and map suggestions from the public through the engagement project outlined on this page. This project is now complete, and an interactive version of the adopted map can be viewed through the City's website.

There didn't appear to be much, if any, local coverage of the redistricting process towards the end. The City's process appeared to carefully take current law and court precedent under serious consideration. Other than keeping an eye on the process, I did not hear any specific concerns about the proposed maps towards the final stage. 

Back in early December the City Council switched the map under final consideration from map #6 to #9. The issue was referred back to staff to finalize. From the 12/5 minutes: 

After a brief explanation of the Council Bill by Mayor Feinen, CM Beck, seconded by CM Pianfetti, moved to refer the item back to staff for map proposal #9 consideration, instead of map proposal #6. A roll-call vote was taken; all voted yes.

As the minutes suggest, there was no discussion or comment during the amendment vote or referral back to staff (video jump to). One can still compare the two maps from an older Study Session report from 10/6/2023: 

Goal Setting: 

The City Council unanimously approved its two year goal setting language at its 1/9/2024 meeting (video jump to) (see previous Cheat Sheet post on the goal setting meetings last fall). The city's Engage Champaign website has a page devoted to the process with links to more information.

Crime and Gun Violence:

The Automatic License Plate Reader (ALPR) program with Flock Safety was renewed and expanded according to the News-Gazette (see 12/12 City Council video and minutes here). The News-Gazette had an editorial in favor of the renewal afterward. The Champaign Police Department continues to report reduced shootings and a drop in violent crime. From the News-Gazette coverage of January's Champaign County Community Coalition:

The Champaign Police Department is moving in the right direction and not looking to make any wholesale changes — at least according to Deputy Police Chief Geoffrey Coon...

Champaign saw an almost 50 percent drop in shootings in 2023 compared to 2022 and a nearly 75 percent drop in shootings last year compared to 2021, a release from the city police department said...

Coon pointed to the department’s increased investment in building relationships with community members, as well as the implementation of new technology like license-plate-readers and “old fashioned police work” to the drop in violent crime.

That full article here. The full Community Coalition video is available here with law enforcement updates beginning about 2 minutes in. C-U Citizen Access has previously reported that violent crime and shootings have fallen in both Champaign and Urbana in spite of the policy and ALPR technology differences. Other metropolitan areas saw similar drops in gun violence and violent crime as reported by the Springfield Journal-Register.

Flock's gunshot detection system, however, will likely not be continued in the City of Champaign when that contract expires next month. C-U Citizen Access had more coverage on that here.

Champaign Deputy Chief Kevin Olmstead said Flock marketed the technology to be 90% accurate at detecting gunshots within 90 feet of the discharge. However, that accuracy rate has not been held in Champaign.

“To date, the system has not yet lived up to performance expectations, including misidentifying some sounds — such as fireworks or a vehicle backfire — as possible gunfire,” Olmstead said in a statement. 

To continue using the detectors, the annual cost would be $25,000 per square mile, which brings the city’s cost to $32,500 per year. The current contract will end on Feb. 27, 2024 unless the city council votes to continue usage.

More information at that full article here (as well as some previous coverage of the problems from C-U Citizen Access).

Other crime and gun violence related Champaign updates:

• The News-Gazette continues to give updates on guns reported lost or stolen in the area. On 1/12 they printed a summary of some examples from last summer.
• Additional coverage on additional high definition "public safety cameras" at over a dozen intersections form the News-Gazette and WCIA. This is in addition to a previous approval for a new new surveillance van last summer. The van was described as a "Multi-Purpose Vehicle" in the agenda, but also as "Premier Surveillance Platform" with a Command Center and Tech Center in the manufacturer's specifications. Those specifications are available on the Cheat Sheet twitter page here.
• The News-Gazette had coverage of the City's approval of more anti-violence programs as part of its Community Gun Violence Reduction Blueprint. They specifically highlighted the Raynard Glass' mentorship program in additional coverage as well. Mr. Glass thanked the City for its supporting during the 12/12/2023 City Council public comments.
• The News-Gazette and Daily Illini had coverage of the City Council's approval of a second round of violence prevention funding.

Other Champaign Updates:

• Champaign Park District on future Clark Park renovations from the News-Gazette.
• Andy Quarnstrom was appointed to be the new Champaign Fire Department Chief after the retirement of Gary Ludwig. Quarnstrom was promoted from his role as acting deputy fire chief and had to resign in his other local government role as Township Supervisor. The City of Champaign fast-tracked the process of appointing a new Township Supervisor according to the News-Gazette and WCIA.
• The News-Gazette also reported that Kyle Patterson, the current County Board Chairman, has been appointed to be the next City of Champaign Township Supervisor, likely sometime in February. WCIA had more with Patterson here. The News-Gazette also had coverage of the other Township Supervisor applicants. Their interviews with the Township Board (same members as the City Council) is available here in the meeting video.
• University Group building and Campustown headquarters updates from the News-Gazette.
• The 12/29/2023 Kathy's Mailbag feature in the News-Gazette had updates on the Garden Hills drainage project and some information on Champaign Fire Department fire truck repairs.
• The News-Gazette highlighted City staff donations to non-profit organizations.
• WCIA and the Daily Illini had coverage of the City of Champaign receiving a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2023 Municipal Equality Index.

C-U Gun Violence Updates

This post provides additional information and links about the latest gun violence updates in Champaign-Urbana. It covers more on the recent Unit 4 shooting and its role in the City of Champaign's Violence Reduction Blueprint (following up from the City of Champaign updates here). There are also various updates on the work of the Community Coalition and general gun violence news, information, and updates

For general gun violence updates, the Champaign County Community Coalition typically has a monthly meeting where the local police chiefs give an update on shooting incidents, arrests, and other information. There wasn't a September meeting, so the most recent updates are available from the August 9th meeting (video here, with the police chiefs updates starting just after the 25 minute mark). The News-Gazette had coverage of the meeting and the sit down with the new Urbana Police Chief Larry Boone. Also:

Parkland College police Chief Troy Daniels highlighted recent active shooter training for the department and said that a main focus going forward would be emergency planning and preparedness.

That full article here. The next Community Coalition meeting is scheduled for October 11th at 3pm. You can get agendas or view previous meeting videos at their website here.

A lot of the recent news on local gun violence has revolved around Unit 4's most recent shooting on a grade school campus and its stated inability to use nearly a half million dollars of the City of Champaign's violence reduction funding over the last year.

An overview of the City of Champaign's Violence Reduction Blueprint is available on their website here. There was a Cheat Sheet post highlighting some aspects, coverage and links here. A more detailed and intricate description of the funding requirements through the American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) is available in the original City Council Study Session staff report here. It begins explaining some of the restrictions and requirements that come with the federal funding on page 28. Excerpt:

"Because the City is proposing to use federal ARPA funding for these programs, the City will need to enter into a subrecipient agreement with existing partners and additional agencies identified through the RFP process outlining the rules that must be followed. The City will be responsible for monitoring the subrecipient to ensure compliance. For those areas in which responses to RFPs are not received, City staff may need to implement the outstanding components in-house."

That full report here. The City Council's frustration was pointed out in a previous Cheat Sheet post last week with links to local news coverage as well as some preliminary public response from Superintendent Shelia Boozer:

Boozer said the district’s decision not to use the city funding it was granted access to was based entirely on not having the “proper personnel” in place to execute a multipronged plan that included launching Saturday school in neighborhoods impacted by gun violence and a “Parent Academy/Parent University” aimed at reaching 100-plus parents and families from historically marginalized populations...

“It’s my sincere hope that the outrage and disappointment that some of our community members have aimed at this school district will be properly directed to the root cause of violence that continues to plague our community,” Boozer said. “We’re not the center of it, but we’re trying to do our part.”

That same News-Gazette article also had updates on Unit 4's metal detectors being expanded to middle schools in addition to the two high schools. Excerpt:

The district will implement the same metal detectors that Central and Centennial students, staff and visitors have passed through every morning since January 2022 — Evolv Express’ dual-lane models — at Edison, Franklin and Jefferson middle schools, Unit 4 spokeswoman Stacey Moore confirmed to The News-Gazette on Wednesday.

“A definitive timeline will be shared at a later date,” Moore said.

That full article here. WAND had additional coverage on the Superintendent's response to the City of Champaign City Council criticisms:

She said the district has been using the $32 million of COVID funds to address trauma and violence in their own way.

This includes providing for the lighting project near Garden Hills Academy, and enhancing security cameras throughout all campuses.

"Unit 4 is an educational institution. I just want to remind we are an educational, not a law enforcement agency. Our number one job is to educate the students in our district," said Dr. Boozer.

That full article here.

A lot of the local response to gun violence hopes to address root causes. In that vein, the Champaign County Community Coalition hosted a Black Mental Health & Wellness Conference this past weekend. Illinois Newsroom had coverage here. Excerpt:

About 200 people attended the day-long event. Before the workshops started, guests could learn about resources and programs from representatives at Carle Health, the Unit 4 School District and the Housing Authority of Champaign County. 

Participants had the opportunity to attend four out of eight different workshops throughout the day. Workshops informed participants on a myriad of mental-health-related topics, such as how to recognize racialized trauma, understand mental health, manage grief, build a healthy Black community and utilize community resources. 

That full article here. The Trauma Resilience Initiative and Karen Simms can be found collaborating throughout local government and organizations to addressing the trauma behind and caused by gun violence in the local community. 

The News-Gazette continues to have coverage of firearms entering the black market from area homes and vehicles. Click to enlarge the News-Gazette graphics from those articles:

 

At the end of 2022 the News-Gazette had an article on similar reports on firearms "lost" or stolen that year. There are also older articles showing this persistent trend of legally purchased or owned firearms entering the black market through loss or other crimes (e.g. this one on Urbana lost firearm reports here).

There was an update on the shooting and related charges of Champaign Police Officer Christopher Oberheim, but also the history of the gun used to kill him. The News-Gazette reported how that gun used in that murder entered the black market from a legal dealer through a straw purchase:

[Ashantae Corruthers] pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Hawley on Thursday to conspiracy to defraud the United States by buying and transferring a gun to Darion Lafayette, the 24-year-old man who shot Officer Oberheim on May 19, 2021, and by conspiring with Mr. Lafayette and co-defendant Regina Lewis, 28, of Normal to cover up that purchase and transfer by falsely reporting to Indianapolis police that the gun had been stolen.

Mr. Lafayette, who was fatally shot by Officer Oberheim’s partner, now-retired Officer Jeff Creel, after he fired at and hit both officers, was not legally able to buy a gun because he was a convicted felon.

He persuaded Lewis, his cousin, who also had a felony conviction, to get Corruthers to buy the gun at an Indianapolis gun store, which she did legally in November 2020.

More at that full article here.

More Gun Violence News:

• The Daily Illini covered the annual Security and Fire Safety Report, including campus crime data.
  
  
• C-U Citizen Access had updates on shooting data in both Champaign and Urbana here, with maps, graphs and a lot more information.
  
  
• Latest Champaign Police shooting data with a monthly comparison back to 2020 from the 9/15 News-Gazette Meeting Minutes feature.
  
  
  
  
  
• The City of Champaign City Council had a Study Session with an update on the Violence Reduction Blueprint. The corresponding staff report also had a plethora of shooting data and maps starting on page of 27 of the PDF file here.