PC hears improvement plan

A previous meeting of the PC Board of Education in Fairbury, file photo.

The PCHS School Improvement Plan was presented to members of the Prairie Central Board of Education during the group’s regular October meeting in Fairbury.

Principal Wade Czerwonka described goals including student attendance, post-secondary outcomes for students, participation in extracurricular activities at the freshman level and raising student achievement.  Czerwonka also spoke about procedures in place for students not enrolled as students at the high school to access educational courses at Prairie Central on a part-time basis.

Students have typically taken advantage of this through Driver’s Education but students would be able to participate in other courses on a part-time basis. A Google form would need to be completed on the high school website by May 1 to partially enroll in the following school year to gauge interest in order to determine class availability.

Also during the October meeting, the Board of Education heard an Advisory Council update as Mrs. Pickham discussed an upcoming meeting which will include reviewing proposals for changes to the high school course guide for the 2026-2027 school year. The Junior High will be the spotlight building this month.

Superintendent Quam presented possibilities for a future district transportation site. The district currently has two sites, one in Forrest and one in Fairbury behind Prairie Central Elementary, which will not be an option for the district in the future. Quam is working with Vissering Construction on different options, which include keeping two separate transportation sites or just to have one site in Fairbury north of the new elementary building. The board will discuss this in the future for further consideration.

Under new business, the board approved trip requests for the high school girls basketball team and FFA.

Cheryl Hoffman discussed the employee insurance renewal with an initial increase at 16 percent, but this is not yet negotiated. Hoffman will hold a meeting to determine if alternatives can be considered to the current plans to help staff and the district with the increased cost.

Quam gave an update on land now owned by the district in Fairbury which includes three separate parcels. One parcel, where the new school and future projects will be located, is along Seventh Street on 61.780 acres. The second parcel is just west of the wastewater treatment plant and east of the high school practice fields on 7.634 acres and the third parcel is northeast which borders the south and east side of the Catholic Cemetery and runs along Indian Creek on 24.179 acres.

The district has been in talks with the City of Fairbury since last winter about the acquisition of property next to the wastewater plant for a park on the 7.634 acres. There is a tentative agreement for $20,000 an acre for the city to purchase the property.

Quam reminded the board school districts can sell directly to municipalities but if the property were to be sold to the public, they would need to go to bids. Once paperwork is finalized, both the Board of Education and Fairbury City Council would need to formally approve the sale.

Minutes were approved from the Sept. 18 regular board meeting and Sept. 27 special board meeting. The consent agenda was also approved.

An Administrative Expensive Waiver Resolution was approved which acknowledges administrative costs exceeded the five percent threshold. The signed resolution will be submitted to the Illinois State Board of Education.

The following individuals were approved for employment in the district:

Gail Leman, PCE Paraprofessional.

Jeff Curl, JV Boys Basketball.

Georgia Mangler, bus monitor.

Nichol Short, PCE café and bus monitor.

These resignations/retirements were approved:

Mike Goodwin, PCUE teacher, intent to retire at the conclusion of the 2026 school year.

Becky Hansen, UE teacher, intent to retire at the conclusion of the 2026 school year.

Dawn Steidinger, UE paraprofessional, intent to retire at the conclusion of the 2026 school year.

Danekah Burger, bus monitor, effective immediately.

Leaves of absence were authorized for:

Becky Drayer, PCPW custodian, six weeks of leave beginning Nov. 3.

Ashley Richard, PCPW teacher, two weeks of leave beginning Oct. 21 until Nov. 4.

Ivana Rivera, PCPE paraprofessional, maternity leave beginning March 2, 2026 to the end of the school year.