Annual Report 2013 Part 1

Page 1

ANNUAL REPORT

SATURDAY, March 16, 2013

Mark Pickering, managing editor, 309-829-9000, ext. 252, email: newsroom@pantagraph.com

Gary Niehaus

Unit 5 reaches its goals he McLean County Unit 5 school district always works to provide students with outstanding educational opportunities. This past year was no different, despite some unusual challenges. Academic excellence, security, growth and technology are, and will continue to be, priorities. The goal is for every student to have the best academic experience possible. Reading and writing workshops are a vital part of the literacy framework, and are a major focus in all elementary and junior high schools. This model takes the students from where they are academically and provides opportunities for growth. It is proving successful, as our students continue to excel academically. Grove, Hudson, Northpoint and Prairieland elementary schools each received the state’s Academic Excellence award, which recognizes high performance on state exams for at least three years. Fox Creek and Oakdale elementary schools were recognized as Spotlight schools, an honor awarded to high-poverty, high-performing schools that are overcoming the achievement gap. The district is preparing students for the 21st century in which technology will continue to play an everincreasing role. This past fall, Unit 5 rolled out a 1–to-1 laptop program for all sixth-grade students. The computers can facilitate inquiry based instruction, problem solving and communication. Students can access textbooks, news, blogs, interactive maps, virtual experiments and other resources as they investigate and master new content and skills. The 1-to-1 program has gone so well, the district will expand it to include seventh grade next fall. If money is available, eighth grade will also be included. Growth — as always — is an issue. This year, we have added more than 360 students. Much of this growth is coming on the east and southeast side of Bloomington, which is stretching the capacity of some of our elementary schools. To help balance the population, Unit 5 is engaged in the emotional process of redistricting. We appreciate the community support as we work through this process. A growing district provides a variety of challenges, particularly within transportation. In an effort to improve service, Unit 5 contracted with First Student to operate its transportation department. It has proven to be the right decision, as this was the best year we have had in transportation in recent memory. The move also saved approximately $1.5 million. Every year also brings challenges and opportunities, and this year had a few. Last spring, when a miniscule amount of asbestos was discovered at Chiddix Junior High School, Unit 5 followed the recommendation of the state health department and closed the

T

SEE NIEHAUS / PAGE 2

The Pantagraph/DAVID PROEBER

Normal's Uptown Station has exceeded the expectations of planners as the number of passengers for Amtrak and buses have grown.

New look Uptown Normal’s transportation hub meeting expectations By Mary Ann Ford mford@pantagraph.com

NORMAL — Uptown Station, one of the key components to the first phase of the uptown redevelopment plan, opened in July and so far has met all expectations. “It’s attracted more riders to Amtrak and local and regional buses,” said City Manager Mark Peterson. “It’s all we hoped for but it won’t meet full potential until high-speed rail is implemented.” When that happens in a couple of years, Peterson expects to see an “exponential increase in activity on the first floor” of Uptown Station. The town’s administrative offices are on the second- through fourth floors. The station, which received $22 million from a federal Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery grant, already is Amtrak’s most popular downstate Illinois station, said Marc Magliari, Amtrak’s media relations manager. “It is a showcase for Amtrak,” he said. “We’ve installed an automated announcement system that displays train arrival times and even where to stand on

Bus traffic has increased passenger utilitzation at Normal's Uptown Station. the platform for business class boarding. This system is fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and is the first such installation outside the East or West coasts.” Other modes of transportation also are increasing their presence at the station.

Peoria Charter already has added more trips from Peoria to Normal and Champaign, said Uptown Development Director Wayne Aldrich, and the town is working with Greyhound and Burlington Trailways to attract buses to the station. SEE UPTOWN / PAGE 2

Area economy showing signs of rebound By Karina Gonzalez kgonzalez@pantagraph.com

BLOOMINGTON — The McLean County economy began to show signs of a comeback in 2012 and area experts expect the trends to continue through 2013. “We’re bouncing back,” said Mike Seeborg, economics professor at Illinois Wesleyan University. “The local economy is showing signs of health.” Among the signs was a drop in the area’s unemployment rate, said Seeborg. Greg Rivara, spokesman for Illinois Department of Employment Security, said McLean County’s unemployment rates began to improve last year, inching closer to the rates of 2008, just before the recession hit Illinois. In December 2008, McLean County’s jobless rate was 5.1 percent. In 2012, the December rate settled at 6.3 percent, down from 6.9 percent in December 2011. December 2012 represents the sixth consecutive time that McLean County saw a drop in its year-over-year jobless data. Rivara said the outlook for 2013 is for continued improvement in the jobs sector. “That’s encouraging because it shows the economy continues to move forward,” said Rivara. “There’s no debate that the econ-

The Pantagraph/DAVID PROEBER

Jake Bozarth, a carpenter for Gentes Construction in Bloomington, cuts up lumber while building the walls of a new home at Kilborn Court and Fiona Way in the Royal Links Subdivision. omy is improving and certainly everyone wishes it would improve in a more dramatic way. But that is simply not what this recovery looks like.” Hospitality and leisure was one of the sectors that experienced a growth in jobs during 2012. Rivara

said the total number of jobs added in McLean County during 2012 is not yet available because data is now under review by analysts. But December’s data showed that the leisure and hospitality sector added 300 jobs that month.

The sector includes restaurants, hotels and shopping centers in the Twin Cities, which all benefit from visitors to the area. Last year, visitors to the Twin Cities spent a total of $294 million. That’s a 9 percent increase from SEE ECONOMY / PAGE 2


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Annual Report 2013 Part 1 by Panta Graph - Issuu