Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Youth Programs topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Peoria board hears five‑year 'Winning' program update; nonprofit leaders rebut online accusations
Summary
At a Peoria Public Schools board meeting, Carl Cannon and a colleague presented five years of results from the 'Winning' summer program, reporting 18 of 20 participants met academic qualifications and large IXL gains; nonprofit leaders, parents and the program CFO denied social‑media accusations and asked the board for transparency on funding and outcomes.
Carl Cannon, a board member of Elite Community Outreach, and Tom Marshall presented the five‑year 'Winning' summer program to the Peoria Public Schools Board, saying the program helps eighth‑grade students at risk of retention catch up academically and return successfully to ninth grade. "Winning works," Cannon told the board, adding that this year 20 students started the program and 18 "met all the academic qualifications."
Program leaders described a model that prioritizes academics first (an initial week focused on IXL and social‑emotional learning) followed by a workforce component. Cannon said the group recorded about 1,009 successful IXL lessons over 3½ weeks at an 80% success threshold and reported a 32% proficiency rate among lessons mastered in that period. He told the board the district paid roughly $31,400 for this year’s effort while presenters said Elite’s total bill approached $49,000 with personnel costs cited at more than $41,000. Board members asked for a week‑by‑week IXL report and a detailed expense breakdown to reconcile those numbers.
The program drew several parents and community leaders to public comment. Kiara Culvert Jackson said the program "constantly reminded [her son] that he mattered," and Tiffany Williams said staff "mentored" and "encouraged" her son through behavioral and academic struggles. Jackie Petty, a member of Elite’s board of directors, recounted the organization’s history in Peoria parks and schools and urged board members to judge the program by visiting and reviewing records rather than relying on speculation.
Sherry Cannon, chief financial officer of Elite Community Outreach, directly addressed what she described as false, damaging accusations circulating on a Facebook page administered by a board member. "Those accusations are completely false," she said, and explained that a change in Elite’s fiscal year reporting (from calendar to July–June) produced an abbreviated IRS filing that, when compared to a full 12‑month filing, created a misleading impression of compensation levels. She asked the board to uphold standards of public trust and to avoid allowing unverified claims to distract from services for vulnerable students.
Vice President Martha Ross and other board members pressed for transparency about who is paid and how funds are allocated. One board member clarified that the Southside Community United for Change paid students for some work components and that no district funds directly paid students' wages.
Board members also asked for several follow‑ups: the presenters agreed to provide the PowerPoint used for the presentation, weekly IXL summaries (weeks 1–4), an itemized expense sheet showing personnel and other line items for the $49,000 total, and historical graduation/transition statistics for students who have been through the Winning program during its five years. The board indicated the district secretary would centralize those documents and distribute them to members for review.
