The Examiner U-46 News Feed

Dist. U-46 seeking funds from federal program

By Seth Hancock
  School District U-46 is seeking to have the nation’s taxpayers fund a sidewalk and signage project at Elgin’s Larsen Middle School.
  The Board of Education approved, by a 7-0 vote, of a resolution to seek those funds from the Safe Routes to School Program, created in 2005 by the federal government, at its Monday, Oct. 4 meeting.
  “The U-46 Board of Education wishes to participate… toward providing infrastructure and educational improvements within School District U-46 to promote increased walking, bicycling, and educational opportunities to our school children,” the resolution states, and it calls the program “a beneficial means of improving childhood physical activity and exercise, reducing air pollution near schools, and promoting pedestrian safety measures in the vicinity of schools.”
  The work listed in the resolution is all at Larsen including repaving and expanding the parking lot, creating a new drive for an additional exit, new sidewalks and curb ramps, added crosswalk, new lights on the drive, striping and new parking spaces, new fencing and miscellaneous work.
  The board went on to approve $10.4 million in itemized bills as well as approval of closed session meeting minutes at its Monday, Oct. 18 meeting. The vote was 5-0, Veronica Noland and Melissa Owens were absent.
  On the closed session minutes, Sue Kerr, the board’s president, said: “The need for confidentiality still exists as to all or part of closed session minutes and, therefore, ‘all Closed Session Minutes, with the exception of the minutes already released including audio recordings, remain confidential. In addition, all audio recordings more than 18 months old having been put into writing and approved, may be destroyed.’”
  Minutes from 15 closed session meetings between March 15 and Sept. 27 of this year were approved. Audio recordings from 12 closed session meetings from Nov. 4, 2019 to March 16, 2020 were approved for destruction.