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Illini West Talks Challenges, Improvements, Taxy Levy

Joy Swearingen, Quill correspondent

The Illinois School Report for Illini West High School shows there were some academic challenges caused by the year of remote learning and Covid-19 restrictions.

Superintendent Jay Harnack showed the board information from the report during their regular board meeting Dec. 15.

The report gave baseline data, a report on progress from 2020-2021 school year, and recommendations for next year. The entire report is available on the school website, www.illiniwest.org.

Baseline data covered chronic absenteeism, dropout rate, freshmen on track, four-year graduation rate, and SAT performance.

Key “takeaways” from the report showed the following:

“Students, as a result of the pandemic, have lost a lot of key academic skills,” Harnack noted in the report.

“We are reteaching time management, assignment completion, motivation, social engagement, behavior self-regulation, and a term we have heard a lot recently, “grit”, the ability to set a goal and stay on task to reach that goal.”

The School Improvement Plan team has created short and long term goals to work on these lost skills.

“Some of the academic skills they are going back to are as basic as finishing homework, studying hard, and working productively, things that in the corporate world we would call soft skills.”

Tax levy

The board approved the tax levy for the 2022-23 school year, after a brief hearing at the start of the meeting.

This tax levy is an estimate of the funds needed from the 2021 local property taxes due and payable in 2022. The total district tax rate is the same as the 2020 levy -- $1.93 per $100 of assessed value. The levy dollar amount of $3,350,430 is higher because that tax rate is being applied to a higher assessed value of property in district.

The district gets about 65 percent of its funding from local taxes.

“IWHS tax rates remain near 10-year lows and are 11 cents lower than they were six years ago,” said Harnack. “Our district will continue to work to find a balance between maximizing opportunities for our students and minimizing the impact on our taxpayers.”

Other business

Principal Jim Short explained the system for final exams, and when seniors are excused from taking exams because of good attendance.

Short announced the following students as Illinois State Scholars: Jacob Carpenter, Marie DeSotel, Cole Kirkham, and Aneisha Norman. Students ranking in the top 10 percent of the state’s high school seniors are designated Illinois State Scholars.

Harnack told the board that the Illinois State Board of Education has approved a $50,000 School Maintenance Project Grant. This will be used toward H/VAC improvements.

The district is conducting its own weekly Covid testing through the Midwest Coordination Center. This lets the district conduct a test-to-stay program for students and staff.

The waiver request regarding non-resident tuition has been received by ISBE. All documentation is in order, and the request will be transmitted to the General Assembly by March 1, 2022. 

Following closed session, the board employed Dakota Lafferty as freshman boys basketball coach, Danielle Rambo as assistant track coach, Jacob Calvin as assistant football coach, and Dennis Dooley as assistant softball coach.

Employment date of Lashay Ramirez as business teacher was revised to Dec. 6. Connie Flesner was approved as long-term science sub, Chandler Moon as custodian/bus driver, and Chris Newkirk as second shift custodian.

A memorandum of understanding was approved within the teachers’ contract setting up leave time taken in quarter-of-a-day segments.

First and second readings of several board policy updates were approved.