Roadmap 2030 project has Decatur teachers worried
Decatur Schools is taking a look at how to use their building space better and improve education results. The project is called Roadmap 2030, but the President of the Decatur Education Association, Sam Mills, said the district is prioritizing the wrong thing. He's talked to many teachers who feel the same way.
City of Decatur names new Fire Chief
There are a few different scenarios the district has proposed, including:
Standalone versus integrated pre-school
Standalone versus integrated middle school
One high school with two different campuses versus two high schools
At a board meeting, the district said they want to balance the square footage per student and improve efficiency.
However, Mills said the educators in his union feel like they haven't been heard by the administration. District administrators have met with teachers he represents but they came out of the meeting feeling dismissed. Mills said there's about 100 staff openings in the district at any given time.
State Police holding Distracted Driving Enforcement Program in Central IL
'We already know that staff vacancy is a problem. If you don't move the needle on staff vacancies, you don't move the needle at all,' Mills said. 'And I don't care how many times you shuffle the buildings around; you shuffle the usage of the buildings, it will mean nothing other than creating more vacancies, creating a larger problem with the academic outcomes.'
Mills also said teachers have told him if this plan doesn't go well, they would consider leaving the district. Staff made up a majority of the last community meeting the district hosted for feedback on the roadmap.
WCIA reached out to the district for comment on the concerns Mills shared but has not heard back yet. In a board meeting last month, the assistant superintendent said the first steps of Roadmap 2030 would take place in the 2026-27 school year.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
6 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Fifth annual Renfrew Art Show kept hundreds of art lovers busy
Renfrew – Art Factory owner and international award winning artist Patrick John Mills is a big man who believes in a big vision, and his big smile was evident Saturday as a record 73 art vendors of all genres flocked to his artistic getaway to welcome more than 500 visitors to the fifth Annual Renfrew Art Fair. The Art Factory, which at one time was the home of H. Imbleau & Sons (1858-2011) and was a world leader in the manufacturing of cast-iron manhole covers, is barely recognizable today. When the business shut down, the buildings remained abandoned until 2016 when Mr. Mills purchased the site. Over the next nine years he transformed the once blackened building filled with contaminated soil and materials into the Art Factory. On Saturday, Mr. Mills was so emotional to see his vision finally take hold there were times he had trouble keeping his emotions in check when he talked about the importance of having a cultural foothold in a town that is always searching for new ways to attract both tourists and potential long-term residents. 'Today completely blew me away not only the record number of artists we had here but the constant flow of visitors and more importantly, I would say about 50 percent of the people I spoke to were not from Renfrew and that is what we were hoping for,' he said. 'When we started this five years ago it was all about showcasing the artists and their collections because COVID was in high gear and they had nowhere to showcase their art. Today, we have a waiting list of artists from all over Ontario and Quebec who want to join the show and we want to make this a major tourist attraction for the town.' Mr. Mills said the artists not only represented various genres of original art pieces ranging from traditional canvas paintings to postcards; handcrafted jewelry, photography featuring a number of subjects highlighting interior subjects and exterior landscaping; wood and steel artistic creations and much more. In order to accommodate the anticipated overflow of traffic, he worked closely with the town's public works department and the town authorized the closure of Argyle Street North between Munroe Avenue and Stewart Street. That section of road was filled with vehicles, trailers and carriages as many of the artists either arrived around six o'clock in the morning or the night before to set up their displays. Due to the number of artists this year, there was a row of nine artists along Argyle Street North and that addition increased the walking tour for visitors. A number of guests, many of them first time visitors to Renfrew, came from Ottawa, Kingston, Montreal, North Bay and other cities to either set up a display or just browse the vendors. Many visitors were seen leaving the show carrying a canvas or other display items they purchased. 'I really want to thank the town and Mayor Tom Sidney for helping us to have the road closed for the day as it really helped the flow of traffic for our vendors in that they were able to unload and set up their displays without worrying about parking far away with their items,' he said. Although the art fair was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m., the outdoor event was bursting with curious visitors well before it even began. Mr. Mills did not need to ring any bells or make any grandiose announcements stating the fair was underway. Instead he used his tagline of 'Live, Love Art In Renfrew' to let everyone know the day was going to be something special. 'I was absolutely blown away,' he said as he was literally jumping up and down beaming with excitement. 'It was like an airport of people constantly coming in and honestly, Live, Love Art in Renfrew is absolutely alive. One of the new highlights was our new outdoor kitchen and garden area where many people sat in the shade and enjoyed lunch that was cooked and served by some awesome volunteers.' When asked how he plans to top this year's successful venue, his face lit up and his infectious smile said it all. 'The number of people we had this year was obscene,' he said. 'Just wait till next year and I have not even come up with new ideas yet and when that happens…look out!' Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Yahoo
NIFL set for two-tier restructure for 2026-27
The Northern Ireland Football League has announced a restructure for the 2026-27 season. NIFL is the body that runs the Irish Premiership, Championship and Premier Intermediate Leagues - the top three divisions in Northern Ireland which each contain 12 teams. However, a restructure will see an expanded 16-team Championship formed and bring an end to the Premier Intermediate League for the 2026-27 season. Instead, a National Conference League will be formed for tiers three to five of the football pyramid in Northern Ireland. The structure of the Irish Premiership will remain unchanged and NIFL says the goal is to have five divisions of 12 teams within "three to four years". At the end of the 2025-26 season, there will be no relegation from the Championship and the top four teams from the Premier Intermediate League will be promoted to the second tier for the restructure. The remaining teams will be part of the National Conference League. NIFL says the move is an "evolution" and chief operating officer Steven Mills said it came as a result of both Irish FA and NIFL strategies. "I believe they create a clear performance pathway for ambitious clubs, while also challenging existing clubs to further develop and progress," said Mills. "A lot of work from key stakeholders has gone into this, and we thank them all for their input, most importantly our clubs. "This also further highlights the urgent need for the NI Football Fund to come to fruition and for increased investment to continue growing the game, as our clubs continue to face the evolving challenges and needs of their communities." In addition to the restructure, the NIFL board has a new Professional Game Ground Criteria, which is a five-year plan to raise standards across the Premiership and Championship.
Bloomberg
21-07-2025
- Bloomberg
India Plans to Allow Sugar Exports Next Season to Avoid Surplus
India may permit local mills to export sugar in the next season that starts in October as early signs suggest a bumper cane harvest, according to a person familiar with the matter. The crop looks promising across key producing regions, helped by higher acreage and ample rains, the person said, asking not to be named as the information isn't public. As local consumption is set to rise only marginally, continued higher-than-average precipitation in the current monsoon period could lead to a sugar surplus, the person said.
