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No progress made on Rantoul High School contract talks
RANTOUL – Rantoul Township High School officials and teachers made no progress on contract talks during a meeting Thursday with a mediator that lasted more than four hours.
Union leaders will meet with members at 11 a.m. Monday – the day before school starts – to talk about their options and find out what actions the teachers support, said Gene Vanderport, Illinois Education Association area representative.
Culver wants action on seats in north Champaign
CHAMPAIGN – The Champaign school district should try again during this school year to get the money to put additional seats in north Champaign, said Superintendent Arthur Culver.
He said although the timing of a spring 2007 referendum is not ideal, the district shouldn't wait because of the deadline imposed by the district's federal consent decree. The district was to have added two strands of elementary seats north of University Avenue by the 2005-06 school year.
New Parkland president urges faculty to strive for excellence
CHAMPAIGN – Parkland College President Robert Exley challenged faculty members to dream big dreams and to focus on excellence in their work with students and in the community.
"Imagine the ability of each of us to see the possible," said Exley, who's been head of the college since July 1, in a speech Monday to kick off a week of development activities for faculty members.
Peer jury initiative proposed for Champaign Central
CHAMPAIGN – Central High School students facing suspension for certain rule violations this fall could instead be given an alternative form of discipline by fellow students.
The Champaign school district is proposing to try a "peer jury" at Central. The goal is to decrease suspensions, lessen the likelihood that offenders will receive another suspension and give students an active role in the disciplinary process.
Rantoul school board approves revised conduct code
RANTOUL – School board members Monday approved minor revisions to a 12-step conduct code for Rantoul Township High School.
District officials brought the plan to the board for "tweaks" and to review statistics from the past year with board members, according to Superintendent David Requa.
Urbana school district's registration policy strengthened
URBANA – Miguel Lucio doesn't need an Illinois driver's license to prove that he lives in Urbana and that his son, Miguel Jr., 10, should attend Urbana schools.
With his national ID card from Mexico, local bank statement and a letter from his son's school, he said at registration on Friday at Urbana Middle School, Lucio was able to register his son for another year at King Elementary School.
Districts to start year without standardized test results
Problems with the state's standardized testing provider mean Illinois school districts will have to start the new school year without hearing whether they made adequate yearly progress last year.
"We have experienced delays with Harcourt (Assessment)," said Ginger Reynolds, a state assistant superintendent for teaching and learning. "Since we had trouble with test delivery in the spring, we've done lots and lots of quality assurance processes to make sure that the scores are accurate, and the districts have been great in helping with that."
Drama group's flight still booked, despite terrorist scare
CHAMPAIGN – The show will go on for a group of drama students from Central High School who leave today en route to London, then Scotland, despite the foiled terrorist plot to bomb international airplanes with liquid explosives.
The 22 students, some of whom already graduated, have been planning – and raising about $150,000 – to perform "The Laramie Project" in Edinburgh's renowned Fringe Festival for more than a year. They don't want to back out now.
2 ex-UI students launch new publication
A few questions that often come up during the college years:
What should you major in? Should you go to grad school?
How do you remove highlighter pen stains from clothes?
And really, is dating dead or what?
For answers, dear students, turn to Proof magazine.
Judge orders timeline for consent decree compliance
PEORIA – A federal judge has ordered the Champaign school district to tell him how it will comply with the requirements of its federal consent decree by 2009 and who will be responsible for doing so.
He also did not grant a request by the district for more time to add elementary seats in north Champaign, telling it to work with the plaintiffs and court monitor on the matter.
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