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District looks to save money by changing bus routes, school start times

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Board weighs options for old Benld property

Board members Dave Griffel, Billy Carter, and Weye Schmidt look listen as administrators explain their updates.

Board members Dave Griffel, Billy Carter, and Weye Schmidt look listen as administrators explain their updates.

Assistant superintendent Joe Tieman updated the board on results from Gary Niehaus, transportation director, during a regular board meeting on April 22. Tieman questioned Niehaus months ago how the shift to the new school would affect bus routes and timing for both schools.

Tieman believes the best plan is to keep the elementary school starting and ending at 8am to 3pm, but believes the district needs to change starting and ending times for middle and high school. The proposed change would adjust the start time 15 minutes later changing the start time to 7:30 to 7:45am and 2:30 to 2:45pm. “We are recommending these changes,” Tieman added.

Niehaus has done nearly all of the work for the district documenting and analyzing miles. “We want to save miles and save money, plus coordinate picking up and dropping off from two campuses,” Tieman added as he turned it over to Niehaus. Niehaus explained it would alleviate car traffic as well. From the bus perspective, he said it would be impossible to get all students from the Benld/Wilsonville area to school at the same time.

Three bus routes covering those locations would have to be run twice, Niehaus said, but the other three buses will only run the route once. After driving the routes, he said the district would save nearly 100 miles a day. The buses are running nearly 75 cents a mile right now. “This is just the first introduction we are looking at preparing for next year. It will save significant dollars as transportation money keeps going down from the state,” Superintendent Skeans explained.

Changing three buses to just one route, the first person on the bus should be off the bus before one hour passes. “They say no students should be on the bus for more than one hour and that’s the way we have it set up right now,” Niehaus concluded. The bus itself is running an hour and fifteen minutes, but that is to and from the garage to the stops. These plans are just proposals and will undergo tweaking over the summer break to develop figures from the 2013-2014 school year.

Current Construction Project Update

Tom Hyde, district architect, updated the board on the new school. He explained the contractors expect the classroom wings to be complete by April 30 and anticipate completion of the gymnasium, commons, and office wing by late May. Site work completion depends on the weather and geothermal well field drilling is complete for wings C, D, E with two wings left. Drilling should be completed within 30 days. Percent complete to date is 91%.

Hyde requested approval on change orders 9 and 10. The proposal for the well casing removal is $614 per well totaling $192,156. The change order was approved 6-1 with Jennie Alepra objecting stating “this shouldn’t be our responsibility to cover this.” Change order number 10 totaled $31,643 pertaining to the 5 gym windows and structural steel framing to hold up doors and frame doors. Change order 10 was passed 7-0.

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Superintendent’s Update

Superintendent Skeans requested a nod from the board members asking for him to continue to do research for mine subsidence insurance. With the approval of every member, Skeans explained he will get the insurance agent to the next meeting to explain the plan in depth.

Superintendent Paul Skeans notifies the board to start thinking about uses for the Benld property.

Superintendent Paul Skeans notifies the board to start thinking about uses for the Benld property.

Skeans then explained to the board members they will have to decide in the future what will be done with the property in Benld. The project is at a standstill right now, but will be demolished in the future and the board will have to decide to keep the property or go a different direction with it. Skeans explained there are 3 possible directions the board could go:

  1. Keep the property for the district and “be forced” to maintain the property, carry insurance on it, and any other expense that comes to the district.
  2. Turn the property over to a governmental agency, like the City of Benld, with the request to build community ballfields for the district and/or city.
  3. Turn the property over to a group as Skeans had a request from the youth football league to have the property. Skeans opposed this idea stating “we all know how these organizations change every year.”

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Personnel

The board hired Jennifer Brown and Rob Macias for 2013 summer school teachers. Brown will teach Consumer’s Education and Drivers Education while Macias will teach Drivers Education. The board went on to approve the honorable dismissal of educational support personnel. “This is something we do every year, most of the time we hire them all back,” Skeans added.

The board went on to employee Penny Feely for summer food service position with Janice Hammann backing her up. The district also hired Nick Schoen as a bus mechanic/driver.

Administrator Updates

Dennis Tiburzi, high school principal, updated the board on happenings at the high school. Tiburzi explained the greenhouse plant sale began Friday, April 19 and PSAE/ACT testing for juniors took place on both April 23 and April 24. Mid-term report cards will be distributed on April 25.

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Middle school principal Lori Emmons explained the middle school tested for pre-algebra placement on April 11. Emmons reported she sent home 45 letters requesting permission to admit students into the class. 5 students have to make up the test, but she explained over half the class made the requirement. Emmons also added 5th grade students will have the opportunity to shadow 6th grade students to give them an idea how middle school works.

Angela Turcol, elementary principal, explained teachers are still observing how Carrollton implements reading and transitioning to common core and “everything is pulling together.” Turcol also explained over 125 students and their families attended the Family Literacy Night and 67 students preregistered for kindergarten.

April Bills

Education Fund: $76,367.09
Transportation Fund: $9,515.24
Site & Construction Fund: $906,218.19
Building Fund: $10,178.70
Grand Total: $1,002,279.22

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CUSD 7 News

Miners girls basketball clinch SCC championship

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In a nail-biting showdown that will be remembered for years to come, the Gillespie Miners girls basketball team captured the South Central Conference title with a hard-fought 55-52 victory over the Pana Panthers on Thursday night, February 13. This marks Gillespie’s first conference championship since their back-to-back titles in 2001-02, when they shared the honors with Southwestern both finishing with a 9-1 conference record.

The game held at Pana High School was anything but straightforward. After a tumultuous 13-minute delay due to injuries and a technical foul controversy, the Miners rallied their spirits to secure the win. Amari Vickery led the charge with a stellar performance, scoring 21 points, while Mia Brawner added 11, Maggie Heyen contributed 10, Delaney Taylor posted 5, Sadie Sholtis scored 4, and Lainey Edwards and Corrine Fellin each had 2 points.

From the opening tip, it was clear that Pana was not going to roll over easily. The Panthers held leads at the end of the first two quarters, 15-14 and 28-26, showcasing their tenacity. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, Pana had edged ahead 44-42, setting the stage for a dramatic finish.

However, the game took a chaotic turn in the fourth quarter when a collision between Vickery and teammate Sloane Brawner resulted in both players going down with injuries. Sloane was not able to return the game but Vickery did. The Miners also lost both Delaney Taylor and Sadie Sholtis to fouls and Gillespie was assessed a technical foul under controversial circumstances which tied the game at 49. But Heyen carried the weight through the fourth quarter recording 6 of her 10 points in the final quarter of play.

Despite the setbacks, the Miners displayed remarkable teamwork resilience under the leadership of Nikki and Matt Brawner. With the SCC championship secured and the regular season concluded with a 22-8 overall record and 9-0 conference record, the Miners now shift their focus to the upcoming regional which is being hosted in Gillespie.

Gillespie hosts Alton Marquette on Monday, Feb. 17 for the regional semi-finals after Alton Marquette knocked East-Alton Wood River, 36-29, to face the Miners. The winner advances to the regional championship that will be played on Friday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. in Gillespie versus the winner of Staunton/Roxana.

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Community News

Macoupin County residential fire claims multiple victims on Saturday

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Tragedy struck in the early hours of Saturday morning in Macoupin County as a residential structure fire broke out in the 200 block of West Dean Street, Virden, resulting in the death of a male victim, the Macoupin County Coroner Anthony Kravanya announced.

The individual was pronounced deceased at 10:06 AM but the identity of the deceased has not yet been released, as authorities await the results of an autopsy scheduled for Monday, February 17, 2025. The coroner’s office indicated that a press release will be issued following the autopsy and the positive identification of the victim.

WAND reported a second victim died after being transported to Springfield Memorial Hospital according to Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon who confirmed a 13-year-old boy and a 34-year-old male were the victims.

The fire reportedly started around 9:30 a.m. and the home was fully engulfed when first responders arrived. Two people were reportedly rescued and life flight was requested but were not available due to the foggy weather conditions. 

An investigation into the cause of the fire is currently underway, involving multiple agencies including the Macoupin County Coroner’s Office, the Virden Police Department, the Macoupin County Sheriff’s Department, and the Office of the State Fire Marshal.

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Community News

Missions group to host trivia fundraiser on March 30

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Come and join us for an exciting afternoon of trivia as we support our local 2:18 Missions! Mark your calendars for Sunday, March 30 from 2 to 5 PM for an event that promises fun, camaraderie, and a chance to make a difference in our community. The event will be held at DeStefane Community Center in Benld, 201 East Central Avenue.

Teams of up to 10 people can participate for just $100 per table. Whether you want to reserve your table in advance or simply show up on the day of the event to pay at the door, we welcome all trivia enthusiasts to join in the competition!

Feel free to bring your own snacks and drinks to enjoy during the game—just please remember, no alcohol is allowed. For your convenience, we will have bottles of water available for purchase.

The stakes are high, and the competition is fierce! The first-place team will take home a prize of $150. Plus, bring some dollar bills to participate in “Heads and Tails” games during breaks and to buy mulligans for your team.

Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity to support a great cause while enjoying a lively trivia challenge. To reserve your table or for more information, contact Kristin at 217-691-7469.

Let’s make this a memorable event for our community and the 2:18 Missions!

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