April 22, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Talk of the Town with Superintendent Todd Pence

Every week we ask a village mayor, trustee, school administrator or board of education member three questions. This week is St. Joseph Grade School Superintendent Todd Pence.

This post is sponsored by St. Joseph Siding and Window.

What is the biggest challenge facing your district?
Biggest challenge – Since the growth in our community has stopped we have been faced with the financial challenge of trying to do more with less.  It’s been a constant battle for the last 7 – 8 years just to try and break even.

What was your biggest accomplishment this school year?
I believe my biggest accomplishment this year has been putting a new principal in place at the grade school that has changed the whole atmosphere within the the building.  

What projects is your district going to tackle next school year?
Academically the biggest change will be implementing a new science curriculum that we researched and recently adopted.   As far as building projects we are constantly dealing with HVAC issues, but we also have worked with a company to help us develop a five year plan to address all our roofs.  This summer our plan is to address the two worst sections of the grade school roof.  We are also looking at trying to do something with the parking lots here at the grade school.     

Banner
Related Posts

SJO FFA holds petting zoo

February 21, 2019

February 21, 2019

An annual tradition is taking place at St. Joseph-Ogden High School today—the SJO FFA petting zoo to celebrate National FFA...

10 Things you don’t know about me… Terri Rein

November 6, 2019

November 6, 2019

Every week we ask an area resident to give us 10 interesting facts about themselves. This week we spoke to...

Live at St. Joseph-Ogden High School Board

February 27, 2023

February 27, 2023

I am here so you don’t have to be. Tonight they are discussing facilities updates. They are discussing a new...

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...

‘The first one to tell you how important you were to him’

September 5, 2022

September 5, 2022

Connor Wienke made sure people knew how he felt about them. Whether it was a smile, a friendly comment or...

Sign ‘em up: Wagners to change locations in downtown St. Joseph

October 4, 2019

October 4, 2019

Jim and Jen Wagner want to invest in St. Joseph because the community has invested in them. “Community support is...

10 things you don’t know about me… Chandler Dalton

October 20, 2019

October 20, 2019

This week the director of St. Joseph-Ogden’s Fall Drama Production “Trap” tells us 10 things we don’t know about her!...

St. Joseph UMC helping those in need

April 4, 2019

April 4, 2019

People needing help feeding their families are getting one more option in the St. Joseph area. Tonight, the Midwest Food...

St. Joseph 7th Grade Honor Roll

November 9, 2021

November 9, 2021

Albrecht, Samuel Benoit, Zachary Canamore, Willis Colvin, Jaxson Ditchfield, Nickolas Downs, Justin Ennis, Jameson Gaines, Leah Garrett, Elijah George, Gunnar...

Graduation main address by Flannery McCorkle

May 19, 2021

May 19, 2021

Good afternoon, Spartans As I look out at my classmates, I feel truly blessed to have been a part of this...

Girl Scouts discuss their favorite cookies

February 15, 2019

February 15, 2019

It’s cookie time. St. Joseph Girl Scout Troops were out last weekend in full force to sell delicious and tasty...

White Christmas on tap for area

December 23, 2022

December 23, 2022

This Christmas could be special weather-wise. Steve Hilberg, the Retired, Director of the Midwestern Regional Climate Center, said this won’t...

SJO Honors Night Winners- 2022

May 12, 2022

May 12, 2022

National Merit Scholarship (commendation) – Mara Burkhalter and Payton Jacob IPC Scholar Athlete/ IHSA Scholar Athlete award- Ava Knap and...

10 things you don’t know about me… Beth Mills

April 10, 2019

April 10, 2019

Beth Mills, the owner of Travel by Beth in St. Joseph shared 10 interesting facts about herself with us! This...

As children go back to school why is it important that they wear masks?

October 1, 2021

October 1, 2021

By: Jeanelle Murphy, DO As Covid-19 continues to thrive due to the delta variant it is more important than ever...

Comments
Leave a Reply