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Board approves University of Illinois partnership and grant to document coal‑transition communities
Summary
The Harlem Unit District 122 board approved an agreement with the University of Illinois to participate in a documentary and oral‑history project about communities transitioning away from coal, including a funded student internship and equipment purchases.
The Harlem Unit District 122 Board of Education voted to approve an agreement with the University of Illinois Urbana‑Champaign to take part in the “Co‑workers and Communities in Transition” project, a documentary and oral‑history effort organizers said will document how Illinois communities adjust as coal plants and mines close.
District staff and project representatives told the board the grant will fund equipment purchases, travel and paid student internships tied to archival research, oral interviews and documentary production. Nick Saini, a district staff member who presented the proposal, said the project aims to record local stories that can inform other communities facing similar economic and social shifts. “This is happening,” Saini said. “So this group is taking an urgency to look into that and help these communities transition.”
Project leaders described a multi‑year timeline that would hire student interns, buy interview gear and support travel. Presenter Emily Guskey, a former Harlem student now working with the Climate Jobs Institute at the University of Illinois, told the board the team expects to conduct dozens of oral histories and produce documentary pieces intended for public audiences rather than only academic journals. District administrators said the grant would reimburse travel, lodging and labor; presenters estimated an initial payment roughly $20,000 about 30 days after signing, with the full annual award at approximately $84,000 for the grant year.
Presenters said student duties would include archival research, conducting interviews and helping produce finished video pieces. The plan described prioritizing weekend interviews and travel into central and southern Illinois where several coal facilities and mines are located. The presenters also noted a recent state law requiring the retirement of coal‑fired power plants by 2030 and said the closing plants make the timing urgent.
Board members asked about student selection and scheduling; presenters said they anticipated selecting a junior and a senior so the program could continue across school years and that internships would be paid and coordinated with existing high‑school internship programs. The board approved the agreement during the meeting.
The district and project leaders said they expect to share screenings of student work with the board and community as the project produces material.
