April 18, 2025 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Live at SJO School Board

I am the only one in the audience.

The House on Main Street is coming down this week or next. Then the school will own that entire area.

FInancial update: One levy payment from the 2021 levy. They have not received the second. Discussing how gas and utility rates will affect their budget. Expecting to be $22,000 over for fuel for buses and drivers ed cars. “That is not ideal, obviously,” said Superintenent Brian Brooks.

Saying that if gas prices don’t go down they may have to look at extracurricular schedules and get “creative” with scheduling, and transportation.

Kitchen and Cafeteria prices update. The district has not updated prices in years. “We have had a huge number of kids in the last year or so who come into the commons and purchase the ala carte.” Brooks saying not a lot of students pick the actual meal. They do ala carte items.

Brooks saying the price increase would be very small.

SRO Contract: The contract expired this year. There has been a little bit of a lag. Brooks’ recommendation is to continue the 2-year agreement with the Sheriff’s department. Sharing the officers with the grade school and PVO.

Alicia Maxey has concerns. She 100 percent agrees that we need a resource officer in this building. With all of the things that have happened in the past with these shootings. These shootings are over in 3 to 7 minutes. If he is at the grade school he is no help here.



“I personally believe we are not doing a service to our kids and our community if we don’t have a resource officer here 100 percent of the time. I don’t want to be the one to tell the parent that we didn’t pick up the other 29 percent because we were trying to be nice and now there are a bunch of dead children.”

Maxey said Bloomington just hired a former SRO as head of security for their schools. There are other options, she said. “It bares some conversation and it shouldn’t be open and shut.”

Brooks saying the biggest issue is not financial. The Sheriff’s office has said they don’t have the people. Another district needs one and there were only two options.

“Things are too uncertain and they are not going to be any good to whoever is in this building if they are in another building,” Maxey said.

“I am not OK with it,” Maxey said. “I don’t want to have to explain to a parent why their kid is no longer with us because we didn’t push hard enough to get our own officer.”

Jim Rein said he would like the full-time SRO. “You never know when it will ever happen.”

Maxey saying this hasn’t been pushed hard enough with the schools because the sheriff’s office says “oh you will be fine.” “It will not be fine,” she said.

If I am understanding it right if the SRO is on vacation they don’t put a filler in. The Sherriff Department encourages them to take a vacation during the summer.

Maxey saying when Parkland happened someone from the department came and convinced the three districts that one officer was fine. She vehemently disagrees.

Brooks saying he would like someone here full time. “I am not sure. I don’t know if they can do that.”

“In my soul, i feel like this is the correct thing to do,” Maxey says regarding bringing it up.

Rein saying they should have conversations with the feeder schools about having a full time SRO.

Maxey saying there is a lot of grants available to fund SROs in schools. Pointing out that PVO is so spread out that if an officer was at SJGS they would never make it to Flatville in time to prevent or stop anything.

Brooks saying he wants to talk to their feeder schools before any decisions are made.

They approved the contract with them sharing with the understanding that they want to discuss having their own.

Discussing the situation in other districts that don’t have SROs.

What do you think? Should every district have their own SRO?

Discussing maintenance staff hiring. Shane Baker also drives a bus. #Thatisdedication

PRINCIPAL REPORT: 763 dual credit hours were earned while this senior class was in high school. That’s half a semester for every single kid if you break it down.

181 kids earned credits at SJO. 11 kids earned credits online.

They are in closed session now.

They are discussing bonuses for employees that are here June 30, 2022. Includes all staff. it will be on a scaled structure.

Discussing Active Shooter Training. Brooks and Page went to a presentation. It was outstanding, Brooks said.




in Schools
Banner
Related Posts

Heritage Junior High Honor Roll

March 26, 2019

March 26, 2019

Heritage Junior High has compiled the list of honor roll students for the second quarter. A student must have a...

SJO “We the People” fundraising for nationals

January 22, 2019

January 22, 2019

Gage Atwood loves a challenge. The St. Joseph-Ogden High School senior challenged himself this year by joining two very different...

St. Joseph MIddel School 7th Grade High Honor Roll

November 9, 2021

November 9, 2021

Ahart, Lillian Barbee, Zhou Bello, Abigail Burnett, Colin Clark, Elizabeth Crider, Abigail Dahl, Hayden Davis, Iris Farber, Madison Franzen, Nolan...

St. Joseph Middle School 7th grade honor roll

June 7, 2023

June 7, 2023

LAST NAME FIRST NAME Aase Kira Alexander Ava Atwood Miles Barton Lucas Beckett Coleton Cavanaugh Blake Cler Hunter Combs Alivia...

St. Joseph Middle School 7th grade honor roll

November 14, 2023

November 14, 2023

FIRST NAME LAST NAME Ramsay Arnold Henry Beeler Adam Bello Teagan Blacker Bailey Blakley Nora Buckley Grant Clark Logan Crider...

5 questions with Mallory Wagner

April 16, 2023

April 16, 2023

Mallory Wagner plays Jay in St. Joseph-Ogden’s “The Descendents”. We asked Mallory five questions before the final show today at...

St. Joseph Middle School 8th grade high honor roll

April 7, 2022

April 7, 2022

ST. JOSEPH MIDDLE SCHOOL —  3rd Quarter, 2021-2022 8th Grade High Honor Roll Ames, Trevor Barrowman, Lexie Beyers, Kaitlyn Bird,...

St. Joseph Middle School 8th Grade High Honor Roll

November 14, 2023

November 14, 2023

8th grade Ava Alexander Ava Bronowski Liam Carter Patrick Clark Carly Coffey Tessa Cox Avarie Dietiker Hunter Dilley Ainsley Dirksmeyer...

SJO Third Quarter Honor Roll

March 30, 2021

March 30, 2021

FreshmenArmstrong, AdenBott, MyaBuss, TylerDenhart, GarrettFrasca, JosephHayes, JayciLannert, LaurenMaroon, CarsonMcBride, SethMcMahon, ShannonSantiago, DanielWard, ElissiaWilson, Spencer SophomoresActon, AlyssaAlwes, CanyonBurch, TaylorCarter, PaytonChatterton, GwenCollins,...

SJO 4th quarter honor roll

July 11, 2023

July 11, 2023

FRESHMENAden, CarolineAtwood, McKenzieBell, AdalynClark, WadeCoffey, ChristopherCrozier, CadeDaly, NathanDwyer, CalebFitch, ParkerFranklin, WilliamGoodwin, BrandonHale, CharlesHardimon, EricaHollingsworth, BraydenHood, BryannaHouchens, BrysonJackson, NickJohnson, JordanKates, MalachyMcComas,...

Kids Say….

April 5, 2019

April 5, 2019

Every week we ask five students from a local school to answer a question on a worksheet. This week the...

St. Joseph Grade School to keep hybrid schedule for now

February 16, 2021

February 16, 2021

While families with students at St. Joseph Grade School and Middle School may want their students back in school more...

Madrigals return to St. Joseph-Ogden

December 1, 2024

December 1, 2024

A Christmas tradition is coming back. The St. Joseph-Ogden Music Department is hosting a Madrigal Dinner on Dec. 7. 2024...

Closing address by Garren Meeker

May 19, 2021

May 19, 2021

I would like to thank everyone for coming to the graduating ceremony of the class of 2021. Whether that be...

Comments
Leave a Reply