“We need quiet time to examine our lives openly and honestly – spending quiet time alone gives your mind an opportunity to renew itself and create order.”― Susan L. Taylor 

 

“Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald 

 

 

Announcements
(notes provided by the crafty and courageous Barb Lintner)

Rod announced that there were volunteer opportunities for the Eastern Illinois Foodbank on our website. 

Molly Delaney in her Bee costume made a plea for a CU Sunrise Team and audience members to participate in the 2016 CU Schiools Foundation Spelling Bee on October 21.  Proceeds go to grants to the schools and this year 37 grants have been awarded to 46 teachers.   The most recent grants totaled $19,000.  We need only 2 more members for a team.  Let Rod know if you are interested.

Les Schulte came to ask for donations for the Illini After Five Rotary Club for their Dictionary Project.  1500 dictionaries will be given out to 3d graders throughout Champaign County and will include Spanish as well as English dictionaries.  This year there will be an event to raise funds at Art Mart on Thursday, November 3 from 4 to 7pm.  Tickets are $10 and are available online.

The Interact Car Wash was rescheduled for Saturday, October 8 from 12:30 to 4:00pm at Prospect Bank due to date conflicts.

October bucket money goes to the Red Cross for Louisiana flood victims.

 

Speaker

Amy Armstrong, Vice President of the Champaign School Board and Neil Strack of Architectural Expressions spoke to us about the upcoming School Facilities Referendum.  Amy, a citizen, taxpayer, and the mother of four children who have or are attending Champaign schools is seeking to humanize the process as so that voters can make an informed choice. 

Champaign is one of the fastest growing communities in Illinois.  In 2009 a 1% sales tax allowed the schools to upgrade 5 schools and build 2 new schools.  The current referendum is built on community based involvement findings from two groups.  Results from the Tier I group include that the high schools are at 104% capacity and many portable class rooms are being used or will soon be used throughout the community.  The needs on the six campuses total $300 million.  Results from the Tier 2 group are a list of needs at Central, Centennial, the International Prep Academy, Edison, Dr. Howard, and South Side.  Land banking is also indicated for future growth.  The findings resulted in a Long Range Facilities plan and the current referendum.

The referendum plan involves 6 schools and is for $183.4 million.  It will keep Central central and add stem areas and science labs in a new addition, among other features.  Options have been made on the necessary properties.  The website at facilitiesplanning.champaignschools.org gives an overhead view of the plans for all the facilities.  At South Side and the other schools the view is to add fields for sports where they can be used by the community when not in use by the school.  Centennial’s needs are more pressing than Central and include an aged HVac system, science labs, security, and accessibility.  Edison will be addressed later since a reassessment of the middle schools is necessary for the future population already evident at the elementary schools.  Under consideration is the replacement of Dr. Howard with a new three story building.   The International Prep Academy, an amazing new bilingual program receiving over 3000 volunteer hours from the U of I, in the old Carrie Busey School is also on the list. South Side is experiencing security and accessibility issues.

Bonds will be issued over 4 to 6 years making the tax impact gradual.  A $100,000 house would be $174 a year or $15 a month when the maximum is reached.  District comparisons for 2015 show that after the increase taxes would be similar to Normal but below other comparable communities in Illinois.  Upon passage of the referendum on November 8 a community oversight committee will be organized to be a part of the process and provide future community involvement. 

Questions were addressed as follows:  The Consent Agreement is the reason that the high schools have to be in central or north Champaign; no other locations are possible.  57.9% of Champaign students are in poverty.   

 

 

  Oct 13th Oct 20th Oct 27th Nov 3rd
Introductions Darrell Hoemann Larry Johnson Andrew Kerins Bob La Charite
Invocation Rod Roberts Tod Satterthwaite Jen Shelby Billy Stull
Greeters Darrell Hoemann Larry Johnson Andrew Kerins Bob La Charite
Phyllis Mischo Scott Paceley Robb Patton Allan Penwell
Song Leader Ben Mast John McDaniel Phyllis Mischo Scott Paceley
Notetaker Conforti Perry Penwell Hodson

 

UPCOMING SCHEDULE (with program committee member responsible listed in parentheses)

October 13th – Prof. Jennifer Pahre, College of Law, UIUC, Legal Issues in the News (Tom)

October 20th – Jennifer Shelby, New Developments in Film (Mary)

October 27th – Niala Boodhoo, WILL Radio’s The 21st, will discuss the Mandella Washington Fellowship(Mary)

November 3rd – Dr. Karl-Heinz Schoeps, retired professor of German at UIUC, will speak about resistance to Hitler within Germany during the Third Reich (Phyllis)

November 10th – TBD (Tod)

November 17th – Mike Hirschi, Champaign West, will discuss the Foundation (Allan Penwell)

November 24th – Thanksgiving, no AM meeting

December 1st – Club Assembly

December 8th – TBD (Bob)

December 15th – Isak Griffiths, Executive Director, Courage Connections (Laura)

December 22nd – Mitch Davis, Muscular Dystrophy Association (Mary)

December 29th – No AM meeting

January 5th – TBD (Phyllis)

January 12th – TBD (Tod)

January 19th – TBD (Tom)

January 26th – TBD (Bob)

February 5th – TBD (Laura)

February 12th – TBD (Mary)

February 19th – TBD (Phyllis)

February 26th – TBD (Tod)