October 22, 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

SJO announces students who earn Fall Sports Letters

November 19, 2019

November 19, 2019

Golf Joseph Acton, Sr. Payton Grimsley, Sr.Riley Myren, Jr.McGwire Atwood, Fr.Maddux Carter, Fr. Jacob Kern, Fr.Jack Robertson, Fr. Cross CountryAlly...

‘It could allow us to avoid having our school year extended past Memorial Day’

February 3, 2022

February 3, 2022

St. Joseph-Ogden Superintendent Brian Brooks said that having an E-learning day yesterday and today made sense for the district. “We...

‘I love everything about our new space’

February 15, 2023

February 15, 2023

The drama program at St. Joseph-Ogden High School has a new home. “It means a lot to this program and...

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...

Maxey to step aside, but ‘SJO is a better place’ because of former SRO’s role at school

August 15, 2019

August 15, 2019

Alicia Maxey, like many other high school students, didn’t exactly know what she wanted her future job to entail when...

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...

COVID cases not tied to schools

November 10, 2020

November 10, 2020

There have been no cases of COVID-19 traced to any of the schools in St. Joseph.   Grade school Superintendent...

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...

Pence hired as full-time superintendent once again

September 2, 2022

September 2, 2022

Todd Pence is a full-time superintendent once again. On Wednesday, the St. Joseph Grade School Board of Education voted to...

Harper finds positive outlet in music

December 10, 2019

December 10, 2019

St. Joseph-Ogden sophomore Lauren Harper loves to sing. That is why she loves the choir. “It’s basically the time where...

Wentzloff brings Lurch to life in Addams Family

April 3, 2022

April 3, 2022

Lili Wentzloff knows how to portray a character with few words. She is portraying Lurch, the butler of the creepy...

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...

Should children wear masks in school? Parents in St. Joseph weigh in

February 11, 2022

February 11, 2022

Earlier this week, St. Joseph Grade School, St. Joseph Middle School and St. Joseph-Ogden High School changed their decisions to...

Safety concern prompts letter to parents

March 2, 2019

March 2, 2019

The system worked how it is supposed to. That is what St. Joseph-Ogden Superintendent Brian Brooks stressed in a letter...

Hallett is new SRO in place at St. Joseph, PVO schools

September 10, 2019

September 10, 2019

Champaign County Sheriff’s Deputy Shawn Hallett has always held the police in high regard. “As a child, I remember having...

Comments
Leave a Reply