Community speakers urge Peoria board to continue funding Elite/Game Changers program

Dozens of community members, program staff and students urged the Peoria Public Schools Board of Education to keep funding the Elite/Game Changers alternative and safe-school program as the district weighs compliance and fiscal constraints.

Carl Cannon, the program’s lead, recounted field work during COVID and afterward, saying the group helped reengage students and that the program was later designated a regional safe school. "We were awarded the safe school," Cannon said in defense of his organization. Several parent speakers and former school staff described personal improvements in students who attended Elite, with one student saying the program taught him to reflect and make amends rather than just be punished.

Supporters emphasized Elite’s tailored approach to students with trauma and behavioral challenges. "At Elite, we look beyond the behavior to understand the person," said Christopher Clemens, an Elite staff member who described his own experience and the program’s mentoring work.

At the same time, some district educators and commenters asked for more data and fiscal clarity. Nikki Wagenshoots, an elementary counselor, urged the board to invest in proactive, in-house social-emotional learning supports and asked for clearer outcomes data and a written budget for any outsourced program. "This is a significant amount of money for a program that often seems to be used by administrators as a tool to get children out of the building instead of addressing root issues," she said.

Superintendent Dr. Jerry Bell told the board he and his team recommended funding Elite for at least another year to allow the district time to collect data and plan for an internal safe-school option, but that final action rests with the elected board members. "I firmly believe in it," Bell said of the program, "but I am mandated to ensure that we're doing things in accordance to state law and within our financial means."