Volume 141 No. 41
Friday, December 12, 2014
Single Copy Cost 50¢
TGS receives state report card Tonica Grade School outperforms state averages By Ken Schroeder news@tonicanews.com
TONICA — The Illinois State School Report Cards are out, and Tonica Grade School Superintendent John Suarez can only be pleased with the latest results. While school averages
have slipped slightly on the Illinois Standards Achievement Test, TGS students still outperform the state average. Statewide, 59 percent of students meet or exceed education standards. For Tonica, the number is 72 percent. “These are great numbers. I think the fact we’ve
got great teachers and committed parents contributes a lot to our scores,” Suarez said. “It’s very heartwarming to know we’re preparing these kids for the future in this way.” The Tonica school administration achieves those scores on a shoestring budget compared to the state average. Instructional spending per students
averages $7,094 statewide, while only $6,115 is spent on Tonica students. Operating cost per student at TGS is $9,239 compared to a state average of $12,045. Tonica teachers earn less on the average, with a typical teacher earning $41,022. The state average is $62,435. However, most of Tonica’s teachers (62.5 percent) have only a bach-
elor’s degree compared to a 41.2 percent state average. Statewide, teachers are more likely to have a master’s degree (58.2 percent) than Tonica (37.5 percent). Tonica teachers have more years in service than the state average, however. The numbers for 2012 (the most recent numbers) show Illinois teachers average 12.9 years experience. Tonica teachers average 16.3 years. Administrators also get a smaller paycheck at Toni-
ca, with a $92,000 average salary. The average statewide is 10 percent higher at $101,096. Tonica students themselves are a factor, as Tonica has a very low truancy rate. One percent of students at Tonica Grade School have a history of chronic truancy, compared to a 10 percent rate statewide. Daily attendance has been two to three percentage points higher than the state average for more than five years.
Water woes worry Lostant By Ken Schroeder news@tonicanews.com
LOSTANT — Lostant residents will most likely be paying more for their water soon. The village board discussed the issue at length at its Dec. 8 board meeting, and members concur there may be no way around it. Water and sewer supervisor Dave Mertes first brought up the probable need for an increase earlier this year, citing the fact the village was not able to prepare for problems under the village’s fiscal condition, just fix problems when they come up. That shortfall was proven in August when the village water system completely shut down. According to Mertes, clean-up and repairs of the pump failure cost $30,000 in reserve funds. During the crisis, the village had to borrow water from Tonica until repairs were completed. Currently, residents are charged a base fee of $10
with a limit of 2,000 gallons. A rate of $7.50 per 1,000 gallons takes effect after that amount, something Mertes said usually doesn’t happen. Lostant is currently running on one well. The board is in the process of completing a new well, but even with grant money, the cashstrapped village will still need to foot 25 percent of the bill. Village President Fred Hartenbower also noted the water tower is in dire need of painting both inside and out, a task Mertes said would cost in excess of $50,000. He added a new water tower would cost the village half a million dollars. The board is considering three separate options, and will likely implement at least one of them soon. The base rate may increase, the initial “free” water may be eliminated or the rate per $1,000 gallons may be increased. The matter will likely be added to the agenda of a board meeting in early 2015.
Tonica News photo/Dixie Schroeder
iPads in the classroom Trinity Wade takes an Accelerated Reader test on an iPad she is using in her second-grade classroom t Tonica Grade School. Wade is a student of Amy Mareta and said she enjoys using the iPad in her class.
Tonica village president concerned about dangerous intersection By Ken Schroeder news@tonicanews.com
TONICA — For years, it’s been an intersection where most local residents exercise extreme care as they drive through, and with good reason. While no deaths have been reported there, it’s a rare year where there is no accident at the intersection of Route 251 and LaSalle County 54, Vol. 141 No. 41 One Section - 8 Pages
© The Tonica News
also known as North 20th Road. During the last five years the Illinois Department of Transportation has traffic data available — 20082012 — there were a total of 19 accidents at the intersection. From those accidents, six people received non-incapacitating injuries and one person was incapacitated. All 19 accidents have one thing in common: They all hap-
pened during the daytime. Most of them occurred in dry conditions. “It’s a dangerous intersection,” Tonica Village President Kevin Sluder said. “People coming from the east or west sometimes just don’t stop. They ignore the speed limits and just breeze on through.” Sluder has been trying to get IDOT to do more to lower the possibility of accidents at the corner,
but so far hasn’t had much luck. “I’ve asked for flashing lights, or signage to indicate there’s a problem there. Ideally, a four-way stop would be great, but they don’t think the corner warrants it. They don’t want to cause an impediment to drivers on Route 251. ‘There’s not enough accidents there.’ Apparently, there has to be a fatality there before some-
thing gets done,” Sluder said. “So far this year, there’s been six or seven accidents there, with a few people sent to the hospital. I just have to wonder what it’s going to take.” One of the accidents was a rear-end collision, with another being a single-vehicle accident. A few have been vehicles striking another as one tries to make a turn. The majority of the accidents — 13 —
have been angle collisions where vehicles traveling on both roads enter the intersection at the same time. The Springfield office of IDOT did not respond to queries regarding the standards for placing traffic control devices, which leaves Sluder asking an important question. “How dangerous does it have to be before something gets done?”