Additional Discussions on Transportation, Building Safety Enhancements
At Monday's monthly meeting of the Macomb Community Unit School District (MCUSD) No. 185, the Board of Education approved the adoption and purchase of curriculum materials for the Pre-K-12 mixed curriculum, and the renewal of the second year of Aramark's five-year contract to provide the district's food service for the 2026-2027 school year.
Curriculum materials totaling $336,368 will be purchased for art, music, PE, band, choir, business and health programs for Lincoln, Edison, Macomb Middle and High schools. Meals provided by Aramark will increase by 4.1 percent. The complete rate sheets can be found on page 165-166 at macomb185.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/963.
In other business, the Board approved placing the amended 2025-2026 budget on file for inspection beginning May 14 at the Board of Education Office, Macomb High School, Edison Elementary School, Lincoln Elementary School, MacArthur Early Childhood Center, and the Macomb Public Library, and establishing June 15 as the date for the official public hearing at the C.T. Vivian Library at Macomb High School at 7 p.m. Superintendent Mark Twomey explained that amending budgets prior to the end of the fiscal year has become the norm as the next school year's budget is adopted in the fall. With the fiscal year beginning July 1, spending is underway before the academic year starts; therefore, there is a need to amend the budget to ensure compliance with state regulations.
The Board also approved membership in the Illinois Elementary School Association, and the intergovernmental agreement for participation in the Regional Office of Education #26 ALOP program for the 2026-2027 school year. District officials will make a decision by the end of the year whether to continue participating in the program or scale back the district's participation.
Public Comment, Recognitions & Discussion Items Transportation & Behavior
Twomey told the Board that transportation, which went in-house last July from contracted services with Durham, is 'going well.'
'Taking over our transportation services has been a relief for all of our buildings. We're not holding students there on a daily basis and for the first time in a very long time, we're getting our kids back and forth to school and home on a schedule,' he shared.
While behavior issues haven't been entirely eliminated, Twomey said behavior on buses has 'much, much improved,' and that the district has hired more monitors to help lessen behavior-related incidents.
Safety & Security
While there was no formal discussion on safety and security, Twomey pointed out that he wanted to publicly state that the Board and the district is committed to additional safety and security measures to make the district even more safe. He told those in attendance that school administrators are always looking at processes to further enhance safety in the buildings.
'We are leaps and bounds above most districts, but we will always look for new ways to improve safety,' he added.
CTE Update
Twomey told the Board he will be providing a letter of support for two grants totaling $9 million. that Spoon River College is seeking from the state for Career Technical Education (CTE). He added that the main sticking point continues to be the location: MHS grounds or SRC-Macomb, with the majority of the CTE Committee wanting it built on Spoon River's Macomb campus.
'It's no secret we haven't settled on a location,' Twomey said. 'I still would like to see it here.'
Twomey has met with Ameren officials regarding a substation directly to the north of the MHS Library on the plot of land that could serve as the building site for the CTE if it were to be located on Macomb's campus. He's currently waiting on the cost from Ameren to take down the lines and bury them underground.
School-Based Mental Health Services
According to Twomey, the district has the opportunity to add two school-based therapists for the 2026-2027 year through a free school mental health program offered by Cornerstone of Quincy. The organization is funded through Medicaid and insurance services, and will provide two licensed therapists to serve close to three percent of the district's students who are identified as needing mental health assistance.
'A representative from Cornerstone will meet with our district's administration team on April 29 to answer questions, and while we have not yet signed a contract, we could have this program in place for our students this fall,' Twomey said. 'While this service will help those students who receive Medicaid, it is not limited to just those students. What this will provide to our students is spectacular. I'm really excited about this.'
The sole responsibility for the district will be to have a designated office space for the therapists, as well as space within each school building for their sessions with students. A unique twist to Macomb's program is that the district will provide transportation for students to continue their therapy session during the summer months. Twomey said that the provider believes Macomb would be the first district in the country to provide transportation during the summer so that students can maintain consistent therapy during the break.
Report on Increasing Access to Post-Secondary Education
WIU Professors Julia Albarracin-Green and Gloria Delaney-Barmann presented information related to a $2.2 million Department of Education grant to address equity gaps in post-secondary education among rural students.
The objective of the grant is to increase enrollment for high school students by improving college readiness and access to post-secondary education; increase persistence rates; increase first-year retention rates for students transitioning to college from rural high schools; and increasing post-graduation employment rates.
The team plans to host at WIU dual enrollment opportunities, summer camps, parent workshops, teacher and counselor workshops and workshops for school administrators and board. Since 2017, 15 area high schools, including Macomb, have taken part in WIU's dual enrollment program.
Strategic Plan Presentation: Kristi Reusch, MacArthur Early Childhood Center, Principal Reusch, along with special education teachers Ashley Andrews and Jennifer Clark and preschool for all teachers Mallory Kessler and Cassie James, presented 'Building the Foundation for a Lifetime of Learning,' which outlined how faculty and staff at the early childhood center address challenges among their students and the methods they use to prepare students for their next steps in education.
Reusch explained the social-emotional curriculum they use throughout MacArthur provides students with coping skills, teaches them how to navigate school and learning, sets behavioral expectations and more. For example, for students who are nonverbal, signs and other nonverbal cues are used so they can communicate with faculty and staff, and other students. This, Andrews explained, can lead to greater cooperation and confidence, as well as language development.
Inconsistent routines also present a challenge, so MacArthur programs are all about consistency and routine … from arriving at school to handwashing to putting things in the backpack to leave. The pre-academic skills focus on play-based learning and how to be a student with the goal of getting students ready for kindergarten.
'The amount of growth we see is incredible,' Reusch told the Board.
Follow The Community News Brief for a more in-depth story on MacArthur Early Childhood Center.
