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The Putnam County
Volume 146 No. 15
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Putnam County’s Only Newspaper
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Putnam County Schools mourn teacher By Ken Schroeder kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
GRANVILLE – Putnam County School students and faculty are mourning the loss of a teacher, a mentor, a colleague and a friend. High school English teacher Judy Gedraitis
died on Dec. 2 as a result of a sudden illness. Gedraitis was in London, England, with her family to attend her daughter’s wedding, which could not be held because of the tragedy. Gedraitis came to Putnam County in 2007, and she quickly became
a mentor and a font of advice for many of her colleagues. She was close to all of her fellow teachers — it’s hard not to be in a small school — but fellow English teacher Carmella Rodriguez probably knew her best. “She was, quite frankly, the best person I
knew. She was so caring in the classroom with her students,” Rodriguez said. “She taught high level classes, but she also taught what we call credit recovery for students who really struggle. She had such a way with the high, high kids, but also had a way with the ones
who struggled. The range of kids who loved her and are impacted by this is huge.” She spoke often of her family with a pride and joy like any other mother’s. She helped her daughter in Washington, D.C., plan her wedding in England, handling the
logistics of a cross-Atlantic affair, and spoke often of her equally-important stepson and his five wonderful children, with a sixth on the way. “Our staff and students are also grieving this profound loss in our Putnam
See Gedraitis Page 3
ROEs to consolidate Putnam County to merge with LaSalle By Ken Schroeder kschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
The state of Illinois is once again attempting to save money by passing a law which requires the Illinois State Board of Education to redraw the map of the state’s Regional Offices of Education. The purpose of these offices is to provide support and teacher training for various programs throughout the state. The new map will take the current 44 regions and merge them into 35. The Marshall-PutnamWoodford Office will be eliminated as Putnam and Marshall counties merge with LaSalle County. Woodford County has been assigned to the Tazewell-Mason County regional office. As one of the nine smallest regions in Illinois, the Marshall-Putnam-Woodford County ROE was expected to align with other area regions so no region was smaller than 61,000 residents. The Illinois State Board of Education formally adopted the current plan during the last week of November. “Despite the fact that over half of the superintendents currently leading these offices throughout the state have been in these positions for less than five years, they are a hard-working and highly-committed group of administrators who greatly value the best possible education for students of all ages in their regions,” Vol. 146 No. 15 One Section - 16 Pages
current Marshall-PutnamWoodford County ROE Superintendent Phyllis Glazier said. “It has been a joy and an honor working with the terrific schools in this region for the past year and a half. I can confirm that the schools in our area are committed to doing everything possible to see that our schools reach the highest possible standards.” There will be new regional superintendents elected next year to run each of the new regional offices. Candidates for these new regional offices must file their petitions this month. These positions are often a target of state cutbacks, as legislatures have enacted legislation in the past with no funding for them. Initially the Illinois State Legislature had ordered local county governments to design the mergers. However they also adopted a failsafe of having the Illinois State Board of Education take over if the counties could not reduce the number to the desired target of 35 regions. The goal was to create those regions with at least 61,000 people in each area. Previously in March, the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools had given the state a proposal of their own map. However this map would have violated the law as it was written, so the plan was not adopted. The realignment will take place before the 201516 school year.
Putnam County Record photo/Dixie Schroeder
Making her wish An area youngster visits with Santa during the village of Granville’s annual Christmas party for the Putnam County area youth on Dec. 7. Events included kids crafts, a chance to meet a “reindeer,” a petting zoo and treats. Santa also visited Magnolia and McNabb. See Pages 6 and 7 for more pictures from weekend events.
Toys in the Pantry needs your help By Dixie Schroeder dschroeder@putnamcountyrecord.com
GRANVILLE — It is another holiday year in a struggling economy in Putnam County. The Putnam County Rotary through the Putnam County Food Pantry are working to help area children whose Christmas may not be so bright this year under the annual event, Toys in the Pantry. Toys in the Pantry works each holiday season to provide toys for children in Putnam County, so they may have toys under their tree on Christmas morning. Cochairs of this endeavor are Cathy Oliveri and Chauntelle Biagi-Bru-
er. Both toys and monetary donations are accepted, Oliveri said. “It’s always good to get the money, so we can get the toys to fit the kids,” she said. “However, local groups often donate toys. Every year the Republicans of Putnam County have their Christmas party, and they each bring a toy. Then they donate them to us, which is really nice. One year the sheriff’s department, instead of giving Christmas presents to each other, they gave that money to us.” Oliveri said many businesses, local villages and organizations donate toys for the Toys in the Pantry each year. Many donate
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funds too. The group welcomes both. “We take money 365 days a year,” Oliveri said. The Putnam County Food Pantry reviews applications by families in the county to verify financial need. The families then submit a list of children and their ages along with some of their likes. Toys in the Pantry receives a coded list representing each child to maintain the individual family’s anonymity. The group can match donated toys or purchase toys for each child.
See Toys Page 2