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Dixon USD 170 approves personnel renewals and hears updates on grants, energy savings and bus purchase
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Summary
The Board unanimously approved renewals for certified staff and administrators for 2026–27, confirmed new hires and resignations, and heard that Reagan Middle School received a roughly $85,000 STEM grant, the district will buy a used afterschool bus for $13,900 and staff discussed an energy-cost analytics system.
The Dixon USD 170 Board of Education on March 18 unanimously approved personnel renewals for the 2026–27 school year and confirmed several new hires, resignations and retirements.
During the Superintendent’s report, Margo Empen recapped a Northwest Division meeting item on artificial intelligence. The Board was informed that two FOIA requests had been fulfilled: one seeking district account numbers and another related to the Energy Saving Performance Contract RFP.
Chief School Business Official Marc Campbell told the Board the district will purchase a used bus from Open Sesame Daycare for $13,900 to serve as an afterschool activities bus. Campbell also described Data Wrangler, a software system to analyze electrical usage and identify peak charge times that could reduce long-term electricity costs.
Reagan Middle School principal Matt Magnafici and Director of Technology James Manley reported the school received a grant from the Cal Ripken Jr. Foundation and Exelon for roughly $85,000 to purchase STEM materials.
In personnel votes, the Board approved hires including paraprofessionals and a crossing guard effective March 19, approved unpaid leave and changes in status for staff, accepted resignations, and recorded retirements effective in 2026 or later. The Board also approved multiple coaching appointments and volunteer coach assignments for the 2025–26 school year and unanimously renewed certified staff and administrators for 2026–27.
Public comment: John Haas spoke during the Citizen’s Agenda to raise concerns about the district’s handling of bullying involving his children; the Board did not record a formal response in the minutes.
What happens next: Administration will proceed with personnel onboarding, finalize the bus purchase, evaluate Data Wrangler for potential energy savings, and implement STEM grant purchases at Reagan Middle School.
(Reporting based on March 18, 2026, Dixon USD 170 Board of Education meeting minutes and staff reports.)