Spartans will take over Bushnell-Prairie City schools Aug. 15 when the first day of the new school year gets underway.
'We are excited to welcome our fifth and sixth grade students to Bushnell- Prairie City Junior High School this year. B-PC Junior High has historically been grades six through eight, and we believe that this change will provide great opportunities to our fifth-grade students, while allowing us to realize efficiencies in our operations,' said Superintendent Bob Gound.
In addition to shifting the junior high grade levels, the district is continuing its partnership with Regional Office of Education #26 (ROE26) to provide the LEAP (Leading, Educating and Partnering with the Community) at the high school. BPC joined ROE26's LEAP program in January. Under the direction of Mandy Kreps and Kate Mallory of the ROE, LEAP provides extra assistance to students who might struggle in one or more of the following: attendance, academics and/or behaviorally. Funded through Illinois State Board of Education evidence-based funding, the ROE26 LEAP program, provides student advocates, who are assigned a caseload of students who have been identified as needing a boost in order to be academically successful.
'We are also updating our fifth-grade language arts and social studies curriculums this year to more closely align with the existing junior high school curriculum,' Gound added. 'We are also partnering with Western Illinois University Rural Parent Mentor Program to increase volunteerism in the elementary school.'
Besides new programs and initiatives, the district is continuing to look at more ways to remain efficient and fiscally-responsible throughout the 2025-2026, he pointed out. Last year, the district reduced its operating costs by $500,000.
'We're ready for a new year,' Gound concluded.
'The beginning of the school year is always an exciting time as we welcome a new group of Bushnell-Prairie City Spartans to our B-PC Family. As Board President McCleery always says, 'Once a Spartan, Always a Spartan'.'
