By JEFF LAMPE
For The Weekly Post
ELMWOOD – The Elmwood School Board on Monday celebrated good report cards – for its schools.
The latest Illinois State Report Cards recognized Elmwood High School as exemplary, an award given to the state’s top 10% of schools. The junior high and elementary school were rated as commendable, the second-highest distinction.
“We would like to recognize and celebrate the outstanding dedication of our high school staff,” Board President Jessica Reyling said. “This recognition reflects the countless hours your spend supporting students, collaborating with colleagues and fostering a learning environment where every student can thrive.”
Monday’s meeting included a Truth in Taxation budget hearing at which no member of the public commented.
After the hearing and a presentation on the district audit by Kyle Hendrickson of Gorenz and Associates, the board passed a tax-levy rate of 5.3988. That is an increase of 0.17087 from last year.
Hendrickson said the district had a surplus of $112,385 in Fiscal Year 2025 and that Elmwood’s financial-profile score increased from 3.54 to 3.8 on a 4.0 scale. Hendrickson noted that 64% of Elmwood’s funding is from local sources, 29% from the state and 7% from federal sources.
The board also approved a three-year contract for electricity and natural gas from Nania Energy, a broker for 50 schools. With electricity rates predicted to rise in May, the district locked a rate of 11.593 cents per kilowatt hour, up from 9 cents per kWh. The gas rate will be $0.483 to $0.55570 for 36 months.
Superintendent Joel Schmieg also has authority to take a different rate if it was lower on Nov. 18.
The board also accepted the donation of two vehicles to be used in the industrial-arts automotive program and passed a resolution that clears the way to pay for bonds on gym and locker-room renovations from 2022 with proceeds from the Peoria County School Facility Tax and not the annual tax levy.
The board also OK’d adding the following coaches: Aaron Harmon (5th grade girls basketball) and Kristen Strom (6th grade girls basketball). Added as volunteer coaches were Ragan Thrasher (high school cheer); Trent Peters, Sean Landers and Tracey Coulter (5th and 6th grade boys basketball) and Blaise Steffen, Justin Gunter, Tom Maier and Jessica Ralston (5th and 6th grade girls basketball). Added as an industrial-arts classroom volunteer (pending a background check) is Phillip Beal. FMLA leave for Lauren Sheets was approved for March 9 through the end of the school year.
