Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Parents and teachers urge Belvidere council to oppose proposed closure of Perry Elementary
Summary
Two Perry community members told the Belvidere Committee of the Whole that a small, neighborhood elementary school should be kept open and criticized a recent 400-person poll and district decisions that they say favor closure over investment.
Fort Zachary, an ESL teacher at Perry Elementary, asked the Belvidere City Council Committee of the Whole on March 23 to oppose any move to close Perry Elementary, calling the school "a neighborhood school worth saving" and a "cornerstone of small-town America." He said the district has diverted students away from Perry, deferred maintenance year after year and reassigned $500,000 that community members understood would finance Perry’s roof to unrelated high school projects.
"Perry is worth saving," Fort Zachary said. "It's at least worth a…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
