Unit 40 Board Votes to Close Edgewood School

The Effingham Unit 40 Board of Education voted Monday to close Edgewood Grade School at the end of the current school year.

The vote was 7-0 in favor of the closing.

Superintendent Mark Doan said fiscal concerns and the school's small enrollment were factors in the closing, along with Doan's overall goal of getting the district down to three educational buildings.

Also Monday, the Board amended the school year calendar to reflect recent snow days.  Doan said the end of year dates do not change under the amended calendar.  Next year's calendar was also approved, with a teacher's institute on Friday, August 15 and the first day of student attendance on Monday, August 18.

The Board accepted a resignation from Karla Greenwood as junior high cheerleading sponsor, approved leaves for Shanna Ambuehl and Jackie Haarmann, and hired Robert Jones as a cafeteria monitor at Central Grade School.

Board members agreed to seek a grant of up to $67,000 from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency that would help pay for changes to the entrance at Central Grade School.  Doan said they'd like to add a second set of entrance doors to create a vestibule and then add a sliding window giving access to the office.  The second entrance, though, would regulate access to the building.

The Board is also seeking two state maintenance grants for two other projects at Central; one would involve $45,000 in work to replace floor tile, the other would replace playground chips and would cost about $30,000.  The grants would pay for half the cost of the work.

The Board contracted with the Regional Office of Education for another year of alternative education programs, contracted with Jerry Herrmann for another year of mowing school district grounds, and approved two more dual credit classes with Lake Land College.  EHS teacher Ellen Brummer has been approved by Lake Land for college credit in her Introduction to Business and Business Law courses.