Knoxville Superintendent's Blog

How do I keep up to date with the progress on the new Track?

swilder202 — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 19:20:42 +0000

We will do our best to publicize our progress on the Track on our website and in the media. For those of you on Facebook, you can “Friend” the following page as another resource: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Knoxville-High-School-TrackFootball-Field-Construction-Page/290747542088.

Finally, you can always call or e-mail our office for more information at 309-289-2328.

Can you provide more information on the possible High School Construction project I heard about?

swilder202 — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:18:50 +0000

Great question, I will try to keep this short. Let me start with some information on the School Construction Grant Program that will make a High School construction project a possibility. The School Construction Grant Program has been run through the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) since the 1990′s. The ISBE works with the Capital Development Board (CDB) to process grant applications and prioritize projects that have been approved. Back in the Spring of 2002, previous Superintendent Dr. James Wenstrom and the Board of Education approved a School Construction Grant to build a new High School. That approved application has been on file with ISBE and the CDB ever since. After being approved, the grant was “entitled”, meaning the ISBE and CDB determined that we would receive a maximum of 75% of the cost of an Elementary project and a maximum of 64% of the cost of a High School project. Schools typically don’t receive the maximum amount of funding. When grants are funded, there is the possibility that more than one project will be funded. There is also a possibility that recent projects can be funded retroactively.

The School Construction Grant Program receives funding from the State of Illinois as they are appropriated through the annual budget. The list of approved grants is quite lengthy and because funding is available on a limited basis, it typically takes 8-10 years for an approved grant to actually receive any funding. The grant submitted back in 2002 has finally “risen to the top” of the waiting list and is in line to be funded when funding is appropriated which happened just a few weeks ago. I was not aware of the grant until that time, so I made the Board of Education aware of the grant and we began to discuss the possibilities.

Because funding is already in place to pay for the addition at Mable Woolsey Elementary School, we looked at the Junior High School and High School and it was obvious that the greatest need is at the High School. Therefore, we are focusing on a construction project at KHS that will maximize the funding available through the School Construction Grant Program. Part of our responsibility to receive funding is to identify how we will fund our “local share” for the project. In our case, I have recommended to the Board of Education that we do everything possible to identify our local share using revenue from the 1% Sales Tax and existing funds. In other words, every effort should be made to identify a project that will not increase the tax burden on any property owner in our School District. The Board of Education is in agreement with this, and knows that living within these limits will likely cause us to consider a large addition to the existing High School instead of an entirely new High School because of limitations on our local share.

At this point, we are preparing to advertise for architects to assist us in the planning and design phase of a High School project and continuing to gather more information about the possibilities associated with the Construction Grant. Many thanks to Dr. Wenstrom and the previous Board of Education from March of 2002 for having the foresight to make the grant application. Please contact me by phone (309-289-2328) or e-mail (swilder@bluebullets.org) if you have further questions.

Is it possible to address the parking along Pleasant Avenue during pick-up at Mable Woolsey?

swilder202 — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 17:49:56 +0000

As I’ve come in to the district, parking as well as drop off and pick up at Mable Woolsey is one of the issues I’ve heard about and begun to look at. While we are trying to make changes to some procedures, parking along Pleasant Ave. is something that really isn’t within our jurisdiction. The complaints that I hear most often are that parking is limited and on occasion it appears that cars could park closer together to make a few more spaces available. I would encourage parents who pick up to consider carpooling to free up some space and work together to make use of as much space as possible during pick-up in the afternoons. Please pass it along!

What will the impact of the “Penny Sales Tax” be for Knoxville?

swilder202 — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 11:07:30 +0000

State law allows for a one percent, or sometimes referred to as a “penny”, sales tax to be added to some purchases to be dedicated to schools for capital projects. That means that anyone who purchases an eligible item will have an additional tax that will be collected and distributed to schools for building projects only (as stipulated by Illinois law). Not all items are eligible, for example all agriculture related purchases, automobiles, and medicine would be exempt from the additional tax. The Illinois Department of Revenue estimates that Knoxville District #202 could gain as much as $500,000 annually through this tax, to spent solely on building projects. What does that mean for Knoxville 202?

The three areas where that money could logically be spent are:

abatement, or early payment, of debt (in the form of bonds) that were used to complete recent Life Safety work and the addition at Mable Woolsey Elementary

a new Track/Athletic facility on the district-owned property on South Gilson street

strategic facility upgrades such as air conditioning all buildings, motion switches for lighting to increase energy efficiency, parking lot improvements, and other facility improvements

Funds to complete the payment of existing debt for the Life Safety work and addition at Mable Woolsey are already in place, but revenue from the one percent sales tax would allow the district to pay off that debt sooner than planned for. If the one percent sales tax were to pass, it would provide the funding necessary for all of this work and allow the district to consider transferring some existing funding from the existing Operations and Maintenance fund to either the Education or Transportation fund for other uses. Most residents likely do not know that the Illinois State Board of Education has cut Transportation funding by nearly 50% for the 2010-2011 school year. The one percent sales tax is one potential way to support Transportation by reallocating existing O&M funds to the Transportation fund to make up for the shortfall from the State.

I encourage you to contact me if you have questions about how the one percent sales tax would impact Knoxville District #202. While ethics laws prohibit us from advocating for the sales tax increase, we can provide factual information to you to assist you in making an informed decision when you vote on November 2.

I live within 1.5 miles of my child’s school, will they walk or be bused?

swilder202 — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 12:04:06 +0000

The school code of Illinois stipulates that schools not transport students who live within 1.5 miles of their school (measured by the path they walk, not a direct line or “as the crow flies”). There is an exception, however, if there is a significant hazard between the home and the school. The state clearly defines what those hazards are and their level of significance. If a parent/guardian petitions the school to review their child’s path to school and it is determined by the school district and the Illinois Department of Transportation that there is a significant hazard, then the school may transport that student. We mailed letters home to every family that lived within 1.5 miles walking distance to their child’s school and have begun to receive petitions to review their child’s path to school. We will make those decisions and work with the Illinois Department of Transportation to make those decisions as fast as we can and notify parents as soon as possible.

How will the Federal Funding bill passed this week impact Knoxville?

swilder202 — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 11:59:05 +0000

Additional funding is always welcome, but funding from any level (Federal, State, or local) comes with stipulations. Some are more stringent than others, which is one of the factors that complicates school finance and funding. In the case of the Federal Funding bill passes this week , that money will be distributed to each state, and each state will distribute that money to local school districts. We already know that money will come with some stipulations about how it can be spent, but it is unclear what those stipulations are. Until we know more, we have to be patient until we know what what money will be allocated to Knoxville 202, what the rules are about how that money can be spent, and then make decisions about how to use that revenue most appropriately. I appreciate your patience as we learn more and work through this process.

How do I ask a question?

swilder202 — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 12:27:33 +0000

The best way to do this is to “leave a comment”. The “comment” is sent to me and I’ll have a chance to review it. I may respond directly to you, or I may use your comment/question to create a new post.

How can I stay up to date with posts on the blog?

swilder202 — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 12:26:31 +0000

You can visit this site to see what’s been posted, or to add a comment (which I may use to write a new post). You can also subscribe to the RSS feed which will notify you when a new post has been made.

Will Knoxville plan for early release days this year?

swilder202 — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 12:23:25 +0000

Yes, we have already planned early releases through Friday, Aug. 27. This allows us to have an “official” full day of school per the State requirement, but get students and adults out a little early due to the expected hot temperatures. We will be following the hour early dismissal schedule at each school. Please contact your child’s school if you have any questions about the time of the dismissal.

Welcome!

swilder202 — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:42:06 +0000

One of the “tools” I’ve used in the past is a Blog to post information, answer questions, and communicate in a general way with the school community. Stay tuned for updates from me, answers to questions submitted to this blog, and more information from my office here at Knoxville #202. You can submit questions using the blog, or by e-mailing me at swilder@bluebullets.org. Please spread the word!