Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Administration topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge board to halt Title I staff cuts and to declare hazardous walk routes; board approves two appointments and several consent items
Summary
Three public commenters urged the board not to cut 20 Title I positions and pressed the district to declare multiple walking routes unsafe so busing can be provided. The board approved the appointment of Matthew Hanley as assistant director of community relations and Andrew Bernard to a board vacancy and passed the consent agenda and curriculum revisions.
Three residents used the public‑comment period to press the board on staffing and student safety before the board approved personnel and consent items.
Opposition to Title I cuts: Robin Schmidt, a resident with two Matia students, said the district should find alternatives to reducing school staff in response to reduced Title I funding and warned that elementary reductions "feed into middle school and high school levels." Christina Garcia, a 20‑year resident, urged the board not to eliminate 20 Title I positions and said the cuts would "systematically ensure that the most vulnerable students... will arrive with even greater deficits." Garcia described how Title I supports helped her older son qualify for higher coursework and called the planned cuts "unethical."
School‑walking safety and busing criteria: Alicia Smith cited Illinois Department of Transportation guidance and posted AADT figures from gettingaroundillinois.com to argue the board should find three walking routes (including a section of Eola Road with an AADT she cited as about 37,800 vehicles) to be "serious safety hazards" that would trigger district busing for 2026–27. Smith quoted the IDOT school‑safety guide: "The local school board determines what constitutes a serious safety hazard in accordance with guidance guidelines promulgated by the Illinois Department of Transportation." She asked the board whether no volume is too high if a walkway is eight feet from the curb.
Board actions taken: the board approved a motion appointing Matthew Hanley as assistant director of community engagement (motion passed by roll call), approved consent agenda items E–V, appointed Andrew Bernard to fill a board vacancy through the April 2027 election and approved several curriculum items, including middle‑school core resource texts and Project Arrow ELA course revisions for grades six through eight. New appointee Matt Hanley introduced himself and thanked the board; Andrew Bernard will be sworn in at the next meeting.
What the board said it would do next: board members reiterated that public comment drives followup by administrators rather than in‑meeting debate and noted that followup would be provided by staff as appropriate.
Votes at a glance: appointment of Matthew Hanley — approved by roll call; appointment of Andrew Bernard — approved by roll call; consent agenda E–V — approved; curriculum revisions (middle‑school texts and Project Arrow ELA) — approved.
