Urbana School District 116 board approves PE waiver after public hearing

The Urbana School District 116 Board of Education voted to approve the district’s proposed physical‑education waiver following a public hearing and extended discussion about instructional‑hour constraints and program tradeoffs. President Pawlowski called the public hearing, read a submitted request to include a community member’s statement in the record, and solicited comments; no new in‑person testimony was presented at tonight’s hearing.

Board members debated whether the district’s waiver application adequately described how it would meet the state’s intent and how required instructional mandates fit into the existing school day. One board member questioned whether the waiver showed “the intent of the rule or mandate to be achieved” and asked whether the proposal explained how the district’s plan would be “more effective, efficient, or economical.” In response, President Pawlowski said the board must file the waiver to allow time for a longer strategic planning process and emphasized the district’s desire to preserve arts programming while meeting state requirements: “I don't want this 5‑year waiver to be a recurring thing.”

After discussion, the board moved to a roll‑call vote. The motion to approve the waiver passed on a unanimous roll‑call vote of members present.

The waiver approval will be submitted to the Illinois State Board of Education as the district works with staff and the union on longer‑term scheduling and program strategies to meet state mandates without sacrificing other parts of the school day.

The board recorded the public hearing and accepted written material for the waiver application record; staff noted a transcript or video of a fourth‑grade student’s earlier public remarks opposing the waiver could be included with the submission.

Next steps: the district will finalize the waiver packet for state submission and continue discussions with staff and the UEA about scheduling and program tradeoffs.