ABOVE: Danville District 118 School Board president Dr. Randall Ashton (with Superintendent Dr. Alicia Geddes to the left of him) offers his apology for recent school board election confusion.
Danville District 118 Board president Dr. Randall Ashton expressed his apologies at the end of Wednesday (April 26th) night’s meeting for the consolidated election misunderstanding. That was where one of the four board positions up for grabs was actually a two year position, due to Lon Henderson’s resignation from the board in the fall of 2021 during the first half of his term.
None of the candidates filed to run for the remaining two year term. That means the two year term now needs to be appointed. Ashton stated his apologies for the board not being aware of this and not getting the word out prior to the election. He says the board and administration are communicating and speaking with attorneys, and a decision will be made when the new board members are sworn in at the May 10th meeting.
(1st Picture) Dr. Ron Serfoss addresses the District 118 Board concerning issue of two-year board position that will need to be appointed. (2nd Picture) District 118 parent Toni Towne addresses the board on a variety of issues, including being accountable for passing students to the next grade when they are not ready.
Five of the public speakers at the start of Wednesday’s meeting expressed criticism to the board on the mishandling of this issue; including Lisa Behrens, Tom Mellon, newly elected Danville Alderman Ed Butler, and former DACC trustee Dr. Ron Serfoss. Dr. Serfoss said afterwards that, as Dr. Ashton said, obviously not everyone will be happy with the appointment decision. But more importantly, it should not have come to this.
Audio PlayerAUDIO: I think it’s significant that Dr. Ashton recognized that he needed to talk to the community, that this was an unfortunate mistake that happened. And I just hope that they will do their duty. They won’t make everybody happy, but they need to do it transparently and honestly, and in the interest of the voters and the taxpayers in this town.
Another critical public speaker at the board meeting was District 118 parent Toni Towne. She stated that the newly elected board members and whomever is appointed to the empty slot need to lead the district administration to more accountability when it comes to passing students to the next grade. Towne says, “do not get pushed around by the state. If a student does not grasp what they need to be grasping, do not pass them on.”
Audio PlayerAUDIO: I think they want their numbers to look better. Everything’s about what the state’s doing, what the state numbers are, and where we compare to that. But honestly, what has to happen is what’s best for our students. We need to ignore the state numbers. We need to focus on getting our students to where they need to be to pass the grade they’re in.
The new District 118 Board members being sworn in May 10th will be Alice Payne, who received the most votes in the election; and Kimberly Corley, who received the second most. Pastor Thomas Miller received the third most and was reelected to the board. Tierra Brown was also on the ballot, and finished with the fourth most votes. Elder Tyson Parks and Christopher Easton were not reelected to the board.
ADDITIONAL DISTRICT 118 NOTES:
Twelve District 118 employees were recently named Golden Ruler Award winners. Superintendent Dr. Alicia Geddis says they will be recognized at a future meeting.
- Alissa Wright, Teacher, Mark Denman Elementary
- Courtney Watson, Coordinator, Kenneth Lee Bailey Academy
- Chris Wilson, Teacher’s Assistant, Edison Elementary
- Elizabeth Benjamin, Teacher, Meade Park Elementary
- Gina Meredith, Secretary, Jackson St Administration Building
- Jeanne Wise, Teacher, Teacher, Southwest Elementary
- Kristi Wagle, Learning Research Clerk, Northeast Elementary
- Robyn Yount, Teacher, Liberty Elementary
- Sarah Funk, Coordinator, North Ridge Middle School
- Stephen Riopell, Teacher, Danville High School
- Taylor Vollmer, Coordinator, Danville High School
- Stephanie Scruggs, Coordinator, South View Upper Elementary
A special 8 AM, Tuesday May 2nd informational session for parents will be held at the Jackson Administration Building (516 N Jackson) to discuss District 118’s plans for providing special education services to students with disabilities who attend private schools or are home schooled within the district’s boundaries. This is for the 2023-24 school year.
