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Superintendent Robert Kidd noted the
visible progress at the construction site. "We’ve got red steel
sticking up in the sky — finally," he exclaimed. In addition, enough
of the roof is up to make the roofline discernible. Rick Spahn,
project manager for S.M. Wilson, emphasized that anyone on the site
needs to check in with the site superintendent and wear a hard hat
for safety.
Spahn presented four options for board
consideration, beginning with an alternate design for the cafeteria
ceiling. The original plan, incorporating reflectors to enhance
sound quality for stage productions, carried a $36,000 price tag.
The stage, located between cafeteria and gymnasium, can face either
way. The alternate plan for the cafeteria ceiling incorporates hard
tiles, like those used in music rooms, to handle acoustics. "This
will probably be quieter on a day-to-day basis," said architect Dave
Leonatti, though sound quality for stage productions will be only a
quarter as good. The board unanimously approved the new ceiling at a
cost of about $4,000.
The second option consisted of stage
curtains, backdrop, tracks and balances, and their installation. The
design includes a circular track that allows curtains to be moved to
face either the cafeteria or gym. The price is $22,020. The board
approved the curtain package, with board president Bruce Parmenter
voting against. Kidd expects that junior high plays will be
presented on the Central stage.
Third was a stage electronics system to
control both lighting and sound at a cost of $25,400. The board gave
unanimous approval.
Spahn’s final option was a site package
including a widened area where parents could pull off the street to
drop off children and seven to eight off-street parking spaces.
Board members observed that no other district school has an
off-street drop-off area and that this decision could be delayed. No
motion was made concerning the site package.
After the Central School issues were
handled, Leonatti presented preliminary plans for the new junior
high building. They show a three-story academic wing on the east
end, administrative and general use areas in the center, and a
gymnasium on the west. Included in the central section are the
cafeteria, media center, computer lab, music room, reception area
and administrative offices. Like Central, the junior high has a
stage facing both ways between the cafeteria and gym.
Leonatti said the junior high will be a
brick veneer building with a pre-engineered frame. He is leaving
exact details fluid until structural engineers determine optimum
configuration of the frame. He said soils at the junior high site
are better, possibly enabling an alternate, less expensive
foundation.
In other business, the board approved a
waiver on the 5 percent limitation on administrative cost increases.
Kidd said last year administrative costs went up 2 percent. Any
district in the bottom quarter on administrative costs can waive the
limitation. District 27 is in the bottom 5 percent, Kidd said.
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The board accepted the resignation of
board member Leta Herrington, who is moving out of the district. At
the Nov. 20 meeting it will take action on a temporary replacement
for Herrington. A book is being donated to the Central School
library in her honor.
Herrington’s seat and those of Joe
Brewer and Shelly Allen will be filled in the board election in
April 2003. Kidd said that Wednesday, Oct. 23, is the first day to
circulate petitions for the three openings. Packets are available at
the District 27 office.
Kidd announced that the junior high
seventh-grade basketball coach, Tom Ackman, has resigned, and former
coach Don Williams has accepted the position. Williams’ appointment
will be acted upon at the November board meeting.
Kidd reported that the district has 27
more students who qualify for free and reduced price lunches this
year than last year, although the number of students enrolled has
dropped by 22. This represents an increase of 3 percent in lunch
recipients. The biggest increase in qualifying students is at
Northwest School, where the number has risen from 98 to 138 in one
year. Overall, 47 percent of students qualify for free and reduced
price lunches, setting an all-time high for the district. At
Jefferson the proportion is 67 percent, at Northwest 64, at
Washington-Monroe 48, at Lincoln Junior High 40, and at Central and
Adams in the 30 percent range.
The annual audit of District 27 books
showed positive fund balances in all funds, with $2 million in the
education fund, $4.1 million in site and construction, $1.3 million
in working cash, and $280,000 in operations, buildings and
maintenance. Board president Bruce Parmenter termed it a "good
audit." Kidd agreed, "We ended the year in a good cash position."
In other administrative business, the
board voted preliminary adoption of board policy amendments. One of
the amendments gives Kidd authority to reassign students to achieve
balance in class size among schools. Up to now class sizes have been
balanced by parental choice. If the superintendent must move
students, the first will be those who were allowed to select a
school other than the one dictated by their residence.
The
amendments are designed to bring board policies in line with the
federal No Child Left Behind act. The act provides that some
students in schools that do not meet Adequate Yearly Progress
guidelines must be allowed to move to other schools. Last year all
schools in District 27 met AYP standards for their total population,
but Kidd said that eventually they will fail because the standard
will be separately applied to each of eight subgroups, including
special education and poor students. In addition, the percentage of
students who must meet or exceed standards will rise from 40 to 100
in 2014. "Eventually they’ll catch all of us," Kidd said. "It’s just
a matter of when." The first students who would be allowed to select
another school are the poor who are doing poorly.
[Lynn
Spellman]
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The event will be from 5 to 8 p.m.
Tickets are $50 per person and will be available in advance or at
the gate on the night of the event. All of the proceeds will go to
the 183rd Pilots Defense Fund, which has been established by the
Northenders VFW Post 10302 in Springfield.
"These two brave Illinois pilots need
our help," Ryan said. "Prosecuting these two men for this tragedy
will only serve to hurt the morale of our nation’s fighting forces.
This was a terrible tragedy, and my heart goes out to the families
of the Canadian soldiers as do so many others here in Illinois. But
as a nation at war we must find out what went wrong and try to
correct it. The blame does not fall only on Majors Schmidt and
Umbach."
In April of 2002, four Canadian
soldiers undergoing "live-fire" training exercises in Afghanistan
were killed in a "friendly fire" incident involving Umbach and
Schmidt. Despite questions about whether the pilots were properly
informed about the presence of allied troops conducting a training
exercise in their patrol zone, the Air Force has recommended
charging the pilots with assault, manslaughter and dereliction of
duty. Both pilots will learn soon whether they will face a trial on
these charges.
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Umbach and Schmidt have hired expert
attorneys and need the financial support of Illinois citizens in
order to launch a successful defense.
All services, food and beverages for
the evening at the executive mansion are being donated by local
merchants.
"Harry Schmidt and William Umbach must
live every day for the rest of their lives with the knowledge that
they killed four comrades. Like them, those four brave soldiers were
fighting to make the world a safer place. That’s a tremendous
burden," added Gov. Ryan. "The last thing we should do is take two
citizen soldiers who answered their country's call and prosecute
them for an accident that occurred in the fog of war."
Additional donations can be made to:
183rd Pilots Defense Fund
c/o VFW Post 10302
2349 Stockyard Road
Springfield, IL 62702
Phone 1 (866) 644-0183
[Illinois
Government News Network
press release] |
