Board Accepts Tentative Budget, School Resource Officer Contracts
At Monday's monthly meeting of the Macomb Community Unit School District (MCUSD) No. 185, the Board of Education voted unanimously to terminate its contract with the St. Charles, MO-based company, Journey12. The August issue, which featured Macomb High alumni, was the final publication.
At last month's meeting, the district's contract with Journey12 was discussed at length, with Board members split on the continuation of the contract. The Community News Brief owner and publisher Lynne Campbell had also submitted a proposal for consideration; however, no action was taken on continuing a districtwide magazine with a local publisher.
'Flight Path' was sent to 8,900 households around Macomb to showcase students, faculty, staff and programs in Macomb Community Unit School District No. 185 based on interviews done by Journey12 staff. The Macomb School Board voted in August 2024 to enter into a two-year contract with Journey12 and its owner/publisher Craig Williams. The Journey12 renewal was originally set for four issues a year at a discounted cost of $85,000, which was $5,000 less than the previous contract of $90,000/year; however, Williams provided a new quote Monday prior to the meeting, dropping the cost to $63,000 annually for four issues, which was slightly under the quote provided by The Community News Brief. When asked why Journey12 submitted a revised proposal the day of the meeting, Twomey explained the contract stated if another vendor were to bid on the project, Journey12 would be notified.
Board Member Justice Keene and other members of the board shared that for every positive comment they received about continuing the contract, they heard three against. Keene, who said he was not voting to push the renewal through, made the motion to terminate the contract with Williams' company, with Kristin Terry seconding the motion.
