District approves bond issuance

During Thursday’s regular January meeting, the Prairie Central Board of Education voted to approve the issuance of $7 million in bonds.

This will be used for urgent building maintenance throughout the district. The amount will be taken off of the original $45 million referendum with the current referendum now asking for $38 million.

Prairie Central teachers will be offered optional training on recent AI (Artificial Intelligence) developments in education applications. Some new AI tools offer the potential for teachers to save time on their daily educational tasks.

Superintendent Paul Crane reported they are still trying to confirm when the closing will be for the recent acquisition of land north of the High School.

Two suppliers recently submitted bids to supply the school district with fuel for the next year. These two suppliers included Evergreen FS and Ken's Oil Service. The Board voted to issue the contract to Evergreen FS, the low bidder.

A report was presented to the Board about the recently completed financial audit of the school district. A new auditor was found at the last minute because the prior auditing firm discontinued doing audits. The State of Illinois requires an annual financial audit by a CPA. The primary users of a school district's financial statements are entities interested in investing in bonds issued by a school district.

The recent audit was successful, and the auditor found no negative findings. The Board voted to approve the audit results.

The school calendar for the 2025-2026 school year is being finalized and the group approved a Vision Policy statement.

Overnight trip requests were approved for the music department to attend the IMEA All-State Honor Band in Peoria January 30-February 1 and for the PCHS FFA to attend the Blackhawk Horse Clinic in Kewanee February 1-2 with six students.

The formation of a communications committee was discussed to develop a plan of action informing the public of the referendum. A committee meeting was set and several board members expressed interest in joining.

Dates were determined to conduct superintendent interviews in February as the search for a new superintendent continues.

Following an executive session, the board:

Approved the following for employment:

Haley Jackson, PCUE paraprofessional, effective Jan. 6, 2025.

Ashly Mueller, JH night custodian, effective Dec. 23, 2024.

Approved the following resignations:

Sarah Weeks, PCE paraprofessional, effective Jan. 17, 2025.

Brittni Gerdes, PCP East paraprofessional, effective Jan. 9, 2025.

Ben Klekamp, PCUE principal, effective end of 2024-25 school year.

Stephanie Hahn, PCP East principal, effective end of 2024-25 school year.

Granted leaves of absence for:

Laura Johnson, PCE SLP, effective April 26, 2025-end of school year.

Kyah Petty, PCE paraprofessional, effective April 15, 2025-end of school year.