The Casey-Westfield Board of Education unanimously adopted the district’s budget for the 2025-2026 school year during a straightforward meeting on Monday, Sept. 15. The vote followed a brief public hearing that drew no comments from the community, signaling a smooth conclusion to the budget process. For more on this, see the full story.

In other discussions, the board heard from a resident concerned about youth football games being scheduled on Sundays. Officials confirmed the issue is a ripple effect caused by a statewide shortage of IHSA-certified officials for high school games, which forces scheduling shifts that impact all levels of play. You can read more about this discussion in our separate article. The board also received the welcome news that the district secured a $98,950 state grant to purchase new Chromebooks for elementary students.

Additional board actions from the meeting are summarized below.

Consent Agenda Approved
The board unanimously approved its consent agenda, which included the minutes from the Aug. 11, 2025, regular and closed sessions. The motion also authorized the destruction of verbatim records from closed meetings older than 18 months, approved the payment of current bills, and accepted the FY 2025 Salary and Benefits Report and the 2025-2026 Curriculum Lists.

Three Students Granted Early Graduation
Following a closed session discussion, the board approved early graduation requests for three Casey-Westfield High School students. The approval allows the students, who have met all necessary requirements, to graduate ahead of their class. The names of the students were not publicly disclosed, in accordance with district policy.

Professional Development Day Set for Sept. 22
Superintendent Mike Shackelford reminded the board that the district will hold its first full-day School Improvement Plan (SIP) day on Monday, Sept. 22. The day will be a non-attendance day for all students. Teachers and paraprofessionals will participate in professional development and planning sessions aimed at enhancing instructional strategies and student outcomes for the school year.

Football Coach Praises Board for New Equipment
The board received a letter of thanks from Head Football Coach Jeff Eritchtnitch praising their support for the football program. In the letter, included in the board packet, Eritchtnitch specifically thanked the district for investing in a new scoreboard and play clocks, as well as the HUDL system for sharing and analyzing game film. He noted the new equipment “brings our beautiful facility to another level.”