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West Carroll board rejects property-sale resolution; votes to winterize Savanna High School
Summary
The West Carroll C.U.S.D. #314 board on June 18 rejected a resolution to authorize potential sale of district property and, after that vote failed, approved winterizing Savanna High School effective Sept. 30, 2025. Public commenters urged alternatives to closing the Savanna facility.
The West Carroll Community Unit School District #314 Board of Education voted on June 18 to reject a resolution that would have authorized the potential sale of district real property and then approved a plan to winterize Savanna High School if the sale resolution did not pass.
The failed resolution, moved by Zac Vandendooren and seconded by Jeff Woodside, “requiring 5 votes did not pass.” The tally recorded four yeas and two nays: Dawn Rath, Fred Tipton, Zac Vandendooren and Jeff Woodside voted yes; Renee Pritchard and Greg Stott voted no; Juliene McCormick was absent. After the resolution failed, the board voted to winterize the Savanna High School building effective Sept. 30, 2025; that motion, made by Board President Fred Tipton and seconded by Jeff Woodside, passed 5-1 (Greg Stott voted nay).
Public commenters had urged the board to pursue alternatives to full closure. “I have some ideas that might be beneficial to all,” said Pat Sanchez, a Savanna resident, urging reuse options including moving the district office, renovating classrooms for a daycare, and using the site for a bus barn. Kris Yingling, a WCPS teacher and WCEA union co-president, suggested deeding the building to the city of Savanna to pursue grants, saying she would “hate to see it sit like the Intermediate building in Thomson.”
The rejection of the sale resolution leaves the district with a near-term decision to winterize and secure the Savanna building while trustees consider longer-term options. The board linked the winterizing motion explicitly to the sale vote: winterization was approved contingent on the sale resolution not passing. The board did not adopt a plan to reopen or repurpose the facility at this meeting, and no timetable for further board action on the building was specified.
