May 4, 2026 Local Stories in and Around St. Joseph, Illinois

Live at SJO School Board

We are live tonight at SJO school board.

It is a full audience today at school board. On the agenda is the tax levy, the risk management plan, social science curriculum review and discussing the property tax relief grant.

It’s 6 p.m. and only four board members are here. Les Hoveln, Jim Rein, Susan Mclain and Mitch Schluter. But that’s a QUORUM!

Here we go.

Kathy McCormick and April Vogelsang are not in attendance. Kevin Taylor isn’t here because he is coaching a game.

Approved October meeting minutes.

Shawn Hallett is approved as a volunteer wrestling coach. He’s the SRO. #multitasking

They are approving the final tax levy.

Risk Management Plan: Annual plan. Approved.

Social Science Curriculum Review. Mr. Schacht and Mr. Beckett.
(I love these reviews.) Plus, it’s two of my favorite teachers here!

Mr. Kieffer is in a meeting for his Alaska trip. He will be here soon.

Schacht has been here his whole teaching career. He went to Cornell.

Kieffer went to the U of I. He is the “guide to the world.”

Fun fact. Beckett student taught for Schacht. He graduated from EIU.

Faculty strengths: Stability, flexibility, committeed to SJO, involvement, energy and deep voices. (This was legit in their presentation. I am not just adding commentary.)

I am so jealous SJO has a world history class. That was not offered at my high school and I desperately wanted to take it.

Schacht’s civics course had 13 students originally and now has 66. Required for seniors with a GPA over 3.25. (If I could take any class at SJO this would be it!)

SJO Grab and Go Thrift Shop- they are taking the home economic room and stocking it with breakfast food and canned goods, Spartan hoodies, jackets for students who need it. Lindsey Aden and others are spearheading it. Student led and student driven. #goSJO

They are proposing a constitutional applications and political science class that would be a second-semester elective, one section class taught by Schacht. It would benefit those wanting to take AP Civics test, We the People, those wanting to go into law.


Property tax relief grant: The state is offering the district again to apply. But the property taxes are so low they probably wouldn’t get it. “It doesn’t hurt to apply. If every district applied we will not get it.”

Principal Gary Page is going over the School Report Card.

You can find it here.

They received the exemplary designation this year. #inshorttheyrock

“We performed in the top 10 percent of the schools, state wide,” Page said.

Closed session time.

Still in closed.

Still in closed. (Not a typo. We are still in closed.)

Out of closed.

Good of the cause: SJO school board president Jim Rein is congradulating the SJO volleyball team that placed third at state in the Class 2A volleyball state tournament. They also congradulated the cross country teams who made it to state.

Adjourned.








in Schools
Banner
Related Posts

Sorority gives grants to teachers

November 14, 2023

November 14, 2023

Psi Iota Xi is a National Sorority with local chapters in various midwestern states.  This philanthropic group helps people.  The...

SJO second quarter honor roll

January 13, 2022

January 13, 2022

FreshmenAllinger, OliviaAltenbaumer, JaredBirt, EliBirt, MilesBowlin, ChazButts, LandenChatterton, SarahCoffey, HaydenFisher, JackFrerichs, LylaGriebat, JoeHarms, BrodieJohnson, SethJones, DylanKrall, AidenLacey, AbigailLackey, LoganMarschke, AudraPalmer, ChayseReifsteck,...

PVO Junior High 7th grade honor roll

November 8, 2023

November 8, 2023

7th Grade Highest HonorsSydney AbernathyJebb AdenKolbie BusboomElla GerdesElla MohrAlea RashEaston RayCaylah RobertsRyan Schmitz 7th Grade High HonorsAllie BottAvary BuhrMax BuhrChase...

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,...

Talk of the Town with Superintendent Todd Pence

May 27, 2019

May 27, 2019

Every week we ask a village mayor, trustee, school administrator or board of education member three questions. This week is...

Live at SJO, March 27, 2023

March 27, 2023

March 27, 2023

I am here at SJO tonight so you don’t have to be. I missed 30 minutes but it looks like...

St. Joseph Middle School 7th grade high honor roll

April 7, 2022

April 7, 2022

7th Grade High Honor Roll Ahart, Lillian Albrecht, Samuel Barbee, Zhou Burnett, Colin Clark, Elizabeth Crider, Abigail Dahl, Hayden Davis,...

St. Joseph Middle School 7th grade honor roll

April 7, 2022

April 7, 2022

7th Grade Honor Roll Bello, Abigail Benoit, Zachary Canamore, Willis Colvin, Jaxson Ditchfield, Nickolas Downs, Justin Ennis, Jameson Gaines, Leah...

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...

Wagle reaches out of her comfort zone

April 3, 2022

April 3, 2022

Alayna Wagle loves Halloween. So the Addams Family spooky motif is right up her alley. “I was pretty familiar with...

National Honor Society inducts new members

April 23, 2019

April 23, 2019

On April 22 the St. Joseph-Ogden High School National Honor Society inducted 20 new members. Those students include: Isabelle Brooks,...

PVO sets return date for full in-person instruction

February 16, 2021

February 16, 2021

Starting on March 22, all the students in the Prairieview-Ogden School District will return to in-person learning daily. Superintendent Jeff...

SJO Fall Athletic Awards

November 15, 2019

November 15, 2019

CROSS COUNTRY-BOYS MOST VALUABLE-2019 – Brandon Mattsey MOST IMPROVED – 2019 – Logan Wolfersberger TIM MIES EFFORT AWARD-2019- Charlie Mabry...

‘I am proud of all of us’ by Kristen Costa

June 16, 2020

June 16, 2020

To the St. Joseph-Ogden High School Class of 2020, when I began writing this speech, I didn’t even know where...

Voters approve referendum

June 30, 2022

June 30, 2022

Superintendent Todd Pence is thankful. Thankful that a referendum asking voters to approve their tax rate by .22 percent passed....

Comments
Leave a Reply