The Danville District 118 School Board has approved an adjustment in core class requirements for each year a student progresses at Danville High School. A couple years back, overall credit requirements were cut back to state levels as an adjustment to the pandemic. But now, as DHS principal Jacob Bretz explains, it’s an effort to make certain that students are taking the most important courses with each passing year.
AUDIO: Like freshman year; all freshmen take a year of English, a year of Biology, a year of World History, and a year of math. So there are set courses that all kids must take and pass at certain grade levels. We just want to count those courses as part of the threshold (in order) to be considered that you’ve been promoted to the next grade level.
Danville High School principal Jacob Bretz and District 118 Curriculum Director MaryEllen Bunton address District 118 Board on grade promotion requirement adjustments at Danville High School
Meanwhile, a presentation by 118 Director of Business and Finance Narcissus Rankin brought up the point that if the District 118 Board had raised taxes as much as they’d be allowed to according to projected increases in the district’s Equalized Assessed Valuation (EAV), the board would have needed to hold a “Truth in Taxation” hearing. But instead, the board decided to keep the increase below the hearing requirement level, with Rankin not asking for as high of an increase that she could have. In effect, that leaves $1,052,000 in allowed tax revenue that the district will not be taxing the public for from their levy. Superintendent Dr. Alicia Geddis pointed out that ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) money, the COVID relief funding used by schools, is still in the mix at this time. So the feeling was, “Let’s benefit the public by using this, and therefore avoiding difficult cuts.”
AUDIO: It’s the Board of Education’s plan to use the ESSER money in strategic ways to offset any loss that we would experience. But the priority was to minimize the burden on our community. That’s a million dollars we’ll never be able to recoup, but we think it’s a better investment into our community.
Neuhoff Media’s Tommy B and Steve Brandy (left side) and Danville High School teacher Lori Woods (second from right) join DHS Future Problem Solvers during their recognition for winning a Silver Dome Award for “Best Use of Non-Broadcast Media.”
Also at Wednesday night’s (Nov 15th) District 118 Board meeting, the Danville High School Future Problem Solvers (FPS) were recognized for recently winning 1st Place in the Illinois Broadcasters Association’s Silver Dome Award for Best Use of Non-Broadcast Media.” This was for their podcast series on Neuhoff Media’s VermilionCountyFirst.com during the 2022-23 school year, where FPS promoted their “Project L.E.N.S: Locally Elevating our Neighborhood & Schools” mission.
