Negotiations, state funding, summer programs and next year’s outlook were several of the items discussed at the Thursday night meeting of the Centralia High School Board of Education.
Superintendent Chuck Lane said he had a positive outlook concerning the state budget:
“So this time we’re always concerned about what the state budget’s gonna look like. We have been hearing some good things out of Springfield. Recently Governor Pritzker recently got on board with the $350 million increase that was based on evidence-based funding models so we’re hoping that the legislators will vote for that and that will help us a lot next school year.”
Three board members, Mike Neudecker, Keith Kessler, and Galen Mahle were chosen for the district negotiation team. Lane said the current three-year contract ends this summer, and that he expects the first meeting to be sometime in June, probably the same day as the monthly board meeting but earlier in the day.
Lane told the board that the summer lunch program will again be offered in June and August, with five stops, beginning June 7. The locations will be City
Hope Church, Sonic in the shopping center, North Wamac School, the Youth Center, and Central City School. Lane estimated the district will serve 150
meals per day, and added that the program will be fully reimbursed by the state.
Both Lane and Principal Reid Shipley said that while summer school will be offered, the district is not trying to make up for COVID 19’s effect on student’s educational progress, yet, adding that after the 2021-22 school year there will have been a chance to evaluate students and then try to get them “back on track.”
In other action, the board moved:
To accept a $17,860 bid for painting project at the school, from R.P. Coatings in Triad; to accept a letter of retirement from Sheila Mattmiller, main office secretary, effective June 30, 2021; to accept a letter of resignation from Branden Morris, JV scholar bowl coach, effective at the end of the 2020-2021 school year; and to accept a letter of resignation from Keith Johnson, head dance coach, effective May 27, 2021.
