District 52 Superinendent John Tignor looks at the district’s financial situation in his series of articles as a guest columnist.

Washington Grade School District 52 (Lincoln Grade and Washington Middle schools) has enjoyed many years of financial stability, thanks to the efforts of the previous superintendent and past board members. These individuals made wise and prudent decisions that resulted in many years of balanced budgets and savings for a rainy day. Unfortunately, the rainy day is upon us. 

Groundbreaking for the new Washington Community High School athletic facility at Babcook Field is scheduled for April 1.

According to representatives of the Panthers Alumni Association and the 12th Man Foundation, who met with architects from BLDD Architects Inc., Superintendent Jim Dunnan and business manager Steve Zimmerman, the architectural plans will soon be finalized and sent to the regional office of education for approval.

With the click of a button, Melissa Kinsey found out that two years of hard work and dedication had paid off. She had met the nation’s highest standards and achieved the National Board Certification for Teachers.

“It was actually quite the nerve-racking process,” said Kinsey, a seventh-grade teacher at Washington Middle School. “I sat at the computer for quite a while, with my hand over the mouse and my eyes closed and just waited. When I finally opened my eyes, I saw that I had passed. It was very exciting.”

Forty-year-old classrooms and doors that remain unlocked all day long— these are just two of the many reasons why renovations are needed at Washington High School, according to District 309 School Board members.

And, after the board’s annual special planning meeting Saturday, the district is one step closer to making the $10.2-million renovation/construction plans a reality.

From electronic projects to alternative reading forms, 18 Tazewell County teachers sought out new and improved ways to engage their students in their classrooms this school year.

And, in order to make their visions a reality, the Tazewell County Regional Office of Education awarded them about $7,700 in mini-grants.

Five of these ideas are being put in action right here in Washington.

Superintendent Susan Dudley will retire at the end of the school year after three years in District 50.

Dudley said discussion and gossip in Springfield about changes to the teachers’ pension system convinced her it was the “right time” to retire in order to get the full pension she signed for when starting her teaching career.

Although the planned $4.3 million health/life safety repairs at Washington Community High School are required by the state, some people are questioning the academic value of such repairs.
Some of the work to be done over the summer includes a new roof, new plumbing, electrical work, removal of asbestos tiles, new windows in most of the buildings and renovation of the heating and cooling system.

The state labels these health and life safety issues, but some people want to know how these repairs will directly impact academics.

Starting in the fall, Washington High School’s campus will go wireless, allowing Internet access anywhere inside the building.

At Monday’s District 308 school board meeting, board members unanimously approved purchasing $23,283 worth of wireless equipment from Aruba Networks in California.

Just as you strive to improve yourself through New Year’s resolutions, the library is making a few changes in the new year to improve their services.  Beginning this month, the library will send out a reminder notice to patrons’ e-mail accounts to remind them they have items due in a few days. If you would like to benefit from this service, the library will need your current e-mail address. Those who have an e-mail on file with the library will also receive notices for items they have on hold and on overdue materials.

Mayor Gary Manier declared Dec. 21 the official Panther football appreciation day.

Those who think the English language is in decline due to technologically advanced ways of communicating, such as text messaging and instant messaging, can relax.

According to Dr. Seth Katz, assistant professor of English at Bradley University, people have complained about the decline of language since the Renaissance.

Proposed renovations to a kitchen and lunch area at Washington Community High School could become much more than just a place to feed students, according to some school board members.

Various ideas were presented Monday night at the District 308 school board meeting. Informal class rooms, adult classes, areas for offices and even a green house were suggested for the renovated areas.

Washington Community High School juniors and seniors and their guests filled the Peoria Civic Center Exhibition Hall A for a night of dancing at this year’s prom, Shanghai Noon.

Washington Community High School announced the top 10 students for the Class of 2009.