May 4, 2026/

Meeting Summary and Briefs: Casey-Westfield Board of Education for April 20, 2026

Spread the love

Casey-Westfield Board of Education Meeting | April 20, 2026

The Casey-Westfield Board of Education met for a regular session on Monday, April 20, 2026. The board accelerated major HVAC replacements at the high school to address failing boilers, navigated state transportation funding shortfalls, and approved nearly $100,000 in new Chromebooks and Promethean boards for Monroe Elementary. Following the regular business agenda, the board adjourned into a closed executive session at 7:27 p.m. to discuss specific employment and litigation matters under the Open Meetings Act before reconvening in open session at 8:10 p.m. to vote on personnel changes.

Personnel Changes Approved: Following executive session, the board voted unanimously to accept the immediate resignations of Color Guard Instructor Rebecca Geffs and HS/JH Volleyball Coach Jessica Daugherty. Daugherty also resigned as an HS Supervisory Aide, effective May 26. The board formally employed Cassie Brewer as a Title I Interventionist at Monroe, Laney Gowin as a Cross Categorical Special Education teacher, Julia Kerchief as an HS Spanish teacher, and Aaron Justice as the Head HS Boys Basketball coach for the 2026-2027 school year.

Board Policy Updates: The board unanimously approved the first reading of several upcoming board policy updates. The updates are being implemented as presented in the Illinois Association of School Boards (IASB) PRESS issue #121.

Upcoming Academic Events: Building principals announced several upcoming end-of-year dates for families. Monroe Elementary will host a 1st and 2nd Grade program featuring special music by the 4th grade on April 23 at 9:00 a.m. The Monroe 5th and 6th-grade awards program will be held on May 8 at 9:00 a.m. At the high school, Awards Night is scheduled for May 12, with Graduation slated for May 17 at 2:00 p.m.

Records Destruction: As part of the consent agenda, the board authorized the destruction of the verbatim audio records of closed board meetings that are 18 months and older, as permitted by Board Policy 220 and 220-E1. The board also approved the scheduled disposal of regular district records for Fiscal Year 2026.

Crete-Monee Students Don Hard Hats for VIP Construction Tour: During the Crete-Monee Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, board members praised Bear Construction for their community outreach at the district’s active building sites. According to Board Member William J. Sawallisch Jr., the construction company recently provided students with hard hats and safety vests, allowing them to take a guided walking tour of the ongoing facility upgrades. The students were given a behind-the-scenes explanation of how large-scale construction projects operate. District officials confirmed that despite the ongoing daytime work, the construction has caused no interruptions to daily school operations.

Casey-Westfield First Graders Receive Donated Books: During the Casey-Westfield Board of Education meeting on Monday, April 20, 2026, the Monroe Elementary building report highlighted a generous community donation. The local “Casey In Action” organization, alongside retired teachers Janet Squires and Dianna Hickox, visited the school to ensure every Kindergarten and First Grade student received a free book of their choosing to take home and keep.

‘Monroe Madness’ Sweeps Casey-Westfield Elementary: The Casey-Westfield Board of Education on Monday, April 20, 2026, learned about a highly engaging school-wide activity at Monroe Elementary dubbed “Monroe Madness.” Embracing the spirit of spring college basketball tournaments, students participated in a structured, bracket-style voting competition. Classrooms voted on various categories, including favorite foods, shoes, and school subjects. The advancing brackets and final results were prominently displayed on a school-wide bulletin board to foster a sense of community connection among the young students.

Latest News Stories

Congressional candidates discuss immigration, tax policies

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square Editor's note: This is the part of a series of stories that are appearing this week on the June 2 primary election in California. The...

Trump-endorsed Gallrein outs Massie in Kentucky

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square Rep. Andy Barr and Ed Gallrein secured partisan nominations in high-profile Kentucky primary races Tuesday, according to multiple outlets. President Donald Trump's endorsement appeared critical...

U.S. House defies Senate, weakens private equity restrictions in housing bill

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square Despite the White House publicly urging the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to approve the U.S. Senate’s bipartisan housing bill, House lawmakers have put forth their...

Illinois Quick Hits: Group files lawsuit against gun owner ID law

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A new challenge to Illinois’ requirement for gun owners to have a state police-issued license has been...

Pritzker touts EV plant in Normal, Bailey says taxpayers bear the burden

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says Rivian is the best electric vehicle maker in the world, but his...

State Supreme Court hears arguments over Uber forced arbitration

By Sean Reed | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Four years after two men – an Uber driver and a passenger – died in a car...

Vance defends DOJ’s nearly $1.8B ‘weaponization’ fund

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday defended a nearly $1.8 billion taxpayer fund through the U.S. Department of Justice aimed at supporting victims of "lawfare...

Vance highlights ‘progress’ in Iran negotiations, floats additional fighting

By Andrew RiceThe Center Square Vice President JD Vance said the U.S. and Iran have "made a lot of progress" on negotiations to end the conflict between the two nations....

Experts: Republican bills offer little data privacy protection, override state laws

By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square Republicans have introduced legislation that would enact nationwide consumer data protections, but experts disagree on whether the proposed federal standard would actually protect Americans’ online...

NAACP asks Black university athletes in 7 states to boycott

By Alan WootenThe Center Square Black athletes in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and South Carolina at public universities are being encouraged to join the NAACP’s Out of Bounds...

Tillis to Hegseth: Choose meritocracy over your mediocre yes-men

By Alan WootenThe Center Square Gen. Chris Donahue, former key leader aboard Fort Bragg and in the 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal, got a strong backing from an outgoing North Carolina senator...

Chicago committee approves $5M for public school project

By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Chicago aldermen are planning to spend more tax increment financing dollars on Chicago Public Schools, even though...

Group files federal lawsuit against Illinois’ gun owner ID law

By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – A new challenge to Illinois’ requirement for gun owners to have a state police-issued license has been...

Feds push back on Minnesota prosecution of ICE agent

By Elyse ApelThe Center Square Federal immigration officials are calling Minnesota’s prosecution of an ICE agent a “political stunt” after Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced criminal charges tied to...

Minnesota mobile voting push stalls as session ends

By Elyse ApelThe Center Square As the 2026 Minnesota legislative session came to a close over the weekend, several special interest efforts ultimately failed to advance. One of those was...

« Previous
1
…
9
10
11
12
13
…
196
Next »