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Board hires Owsley to replace Tieman as School Superintendent
A week after School Supt. Joe Tieman stunned the Community Unit School District 7 Board of Education by announcing his retirement, board members voted 5-2 Wednesday night to hire current Gillespie High School Principal Shane Owsley to step into the superintendent’s position as of July 1.
The board was in open session for only five minutes, meeting remotely through the Zoom video conferencing system due to precautions in place during the Covid-19 outbreak. In one of the more surreal moments, Board President held a small American flag to the camera so board members could recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
Board members voted 5-2 to hire Owsley as District Superintendent “pending certification,” effective July 1. Tieman’s resignation for purposes of retirement takes effect June 30. Board member Weye Schmidt moved to hire Owsley, with a second from Bill Carter.
Both Dennis Tiburzi and Jenni Alepra voted “no,” with Hayes, Carter, Schmidt, Becky Hatlee and Don Dobrino voting “yes.”
In a follow-up action, the board voted unanimously to post a vacant position for high school principal.
“I want to explain why I’m voting ‘no’,” Alepra told the board. “I support Shane Owsley 110 percent in this position. I’m voting against the haste and the process we’re taking to make this choice. I don’t feel we have the correct support in place for this new candidate. My vote is ‘no’.”
After the final vote was tallied, Schmidt countered Alepra’s remarks, arguing it was necessary to quickly hire a superintendent to facilitate the search for a new high school principal.
“It’s critical,” Schmidt said. “We’re looking for a high school principal. That process needs to get underway because school starts in two and a half months. We need to find a high school principal.”
Schmidt said the board is in agreement Owsley will “do a fantastic job.” Whether the board hired a consultant, hired an interim superintendent or hired Owsley outright, Schmidt said, the board is committed to “giving Shane the support he needs” to be successful.
Alepra agreed that Owsley has the full support of the board but criticized the process used for hiring him.
“That’s something we should already have in place,” she said. “We don’t need to put the cart before the horse.”
Owsley was hired by the district in April 2017 to replace Lori Emmons as high school principal. A resident of Carlinville, he had previously worked three years as dean of students at the North Mac School District in Virden/Girard.
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Another major winter storm is forecasted to blanket the BenGil area in heavy rains, flooding and snowfall starting Wednesday night through Thursday.
The mixture of precipitation and rapidly changing weather likely will produce the potential for sudden icing on roads, with high winds leading to blowing snow and reduced visibility.
“The Illinois Department of Transportation’s snow-and-ice teams will be prepared and out in force, but the public needs to be ready for conditions to change quickly and worsen if they are out on the roads,” said Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman. “As always during periods of extreme weather, the safest option is to postpone any unnecessary trips and stay home. If you must travel, prepare for very slow and potentially hazardous conditions. And please slow down around our plows and other emergency vehicles, giving them plenty of room to do their jobs.”
The National Weather Service is predicting a wintry mix of precipitation to start with thunderstorms and heavy rain in much of the state this evening, converting to freezing rain overnight before turning to snow Thursday morning. In addition to localized flooding, ice and sleet accumulations are likely, creating extremely slippery surfaces and slick conditions.
Due to the rainy conditions ahead of temperatures falling overnight, the effectiveness of pretreating and salting surfaces in advance of significant snowfall will be limited. The public should anticipate icy conditions even when roads appear clear and greatly reduce speeds.
“As the Illinois State Police plans to take on the unpredictable Illinois weather, we would like to remind motorists to do their part in keeping the roads a safe place,” said Illinois State Police Director Brendan F. Kelly. “ISP, alongside IDOT and other agencies, will be working in hazardous weather conditions. Please remember to slow down, stay vigilant and move over for ANY vehicle on the side of the road.”
Statewide, IDOT has available more than 1,800 trucks and equipment to plow, treat roads and respond to weather emergencies. If you encounter a plow or any maintenance vehicle during your travels, please slow down, increase your following distance and remain patient. Do not attempt to pass – conditions in front of the plow will be worse than behind it.
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Police are investigating the death of a Bunker Hill woman who was found dead at the end of her driveway near the roadway on Monday morning, January 31.
Nancy Blycker, 91, had multiple injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police. The Macoupin County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call to the 2900 block of Wood Hill Lane around 7:40 a.m. on Monday.
The initial suspicion was homicide, according to a release by the Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis who said approximately 20 investigators were working the investigation, but the autopsy contradicted that suspicion.
The Major Case Squad said on Tuesday it is “highly unlikely” Blycker’s death was the “result of homicidal means.”
The Major Case Squad turned the case back over to the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Department. The official cause of death is pending further lab analysis.
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The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for the BenGil area, southwestern Illinois, and the St. Louis area.
The warning was issued early Tuesday taking effect at midnight tonight until noon on Thursday, February 3 calling for a “wet, heavy” snow. The forecast also calls for ice prompting a warning about possible power outages.
“All indications continue to point to a disruptive, impactful, and dangerous winter storm impacting the region starting late tonight and lasting through Thursday night,” the National Weather Service said in its Area Forecast Discussion.
The BenGil area is expected to receive heavy mixed precipitation including snow accumulations between 6 and 10 inches, sleet accumulations around three-quarters of an inch, and ice accumulations around two-tenths of an inch. Wind gusts will be as high as 35 mph on Thursday.
The storm is expected to start with rain most of the day today before transitioning into a mixture of freezing rain and/or sleet Tuesday night, then all snow Wednesday morning or as late as Wednesday afternoon continuing until about noon on Thursday.
