Illinois / School Boards / Ball Chatham CUSD 5
Dr. Becca Layman, superintendent of Ball Chatham Community Unit School District 5, detailed aging infrastructure, safety and accessibility problems across district schools and said an upcoming referendum would fund comprehensive repairs, including a proposed $5 million HVAC replacement at Ball Elementary.
Illinois / School Boards / Ball Chatham CUSD 5
Ball Chatham CUSD 5 on Jan. 28 approved a base bid and three alternatives for a new HVAC unit at Bald Elementary after a presentation by facilities director Jared Kester; contract and dollar amounts were not specified in the transcript.
Illinois / School Boards / Ball Chatham CUSD 5
In a roughly 40-minute Jan. 28 meeting, the Ball Chatham CUSD 5 board approved consent-agenda and personnel items, accepted the second reading of revised press policies, heard from GMS principal Christine Laynan about a kindness program, and received a communications update from Danny Frey about social-media metrics and a new 'Rooms' parent tool.
Illinois / School Boards / Ball Chatham CUSD 5
Director of communications Danny Fry updated the board on the district’s new website and BCSD5 app (launched November), partnership with Apogee for alerts and two-way 'rooms' messaging, rising FOIA counts and community engagement including town-hall outreach.
Illinois / School Boards / Ball Chatham CUSD 5
The Ball Chatham CUSD 5 board voted Jan. 28 to award a $4,007,500 base contract and three alternates to S.M. Wilson Co. to replace HVAC systems at Ball Elementary; work is scheduled to start during spring break 2026 with substantial completion targeted for July 31, 2026.
Illinois / School Boards / Ball Chatham CUSD 5
Christine Lamb presented the district’s Kindness Wall initiative (sponsored in Illinois by the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater), a moderated, school-based social-media-style platform for positive student messages. The board praised the program and noted assemblies and displays underway.
Illinois / School Boards / Ball Chatham CUSD 5
Following a truth-in-taxation hearing at its Dec. 17 meeting, the Ball Chatham CUSD 5 school board adopted the 2025 tax levy; the district said no members of the public spoke during the hearing.
Illinois / School Boards / Ball Chatham CUSD 5
High school, middle and intermediate schools presented proposed course‑book changes to help students select next-year courses; a high‑school science teacher raised concerns during citizen comment and later spoke again in support of Ball.
Illinois / School Boards / Ball Chatham CUSD 5
The Ball Chatham CUSD 5 school board approved a resolution to place a $110,000,000 facilities referendum before voters and said the district will move toward a March referendum; specific projects and budget breakdowns were not specified.
Illinois / School Boards / Ball Chatham CUSD 5
The Ball‑Chatham CUSD 5 board voted to forward a resolution asking voters to approve $110,000,000 in bonds to repair and upgrade school buildings, safety systems, HVAC, and related infrastructure at the March 2026 primary election.