By: Diane Benjamin

https://meetings.boardbook.org/Public/Agenda/1482?meeting=542269

The Unit 5 School Board will vote to raise your property taxes tonight:

Some things Unit 5 doesn’t want to hear:

1. Quit wasting money on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion because it teaches kids to judge each other based on the color of their skin.
2. Opt out of Comprehensive Sexual Education like 100’s of school Districts across the state have.
3. School Board members need to READ the textbooks being used, I bet they will find unelated subjects pushing #1.
4. Why should citizens give Unit 5 more money with poor performance? Browse this site: https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/District.aspx?districtId=17064005026

Here’s one you probably don’t know, any idea what this is?

Getting information from Unit 5 is like pulling teeth – theirs. I will tell you what I know. This is a 2019 addition to Coleen Hoose:

Via FOIA:

The addition was added in fiscal year 2019.  Total cost of the project was $1,217,312.  The funding sources for the addition are as follows:

Land dedication fees from the Town of Normal	720,313.00
Working Cash Bonds	400,000.00
Operations & Maintenance Fund	64,000.00
Capital Projects Fund	33,000.00
Total	1,217,313.00

According to a very reliable source which isn’t Unit 5, this wing houses kids that are incapable of being educated. They are severely disabled, I have no idea where they were housed previously. All live in the Unit 5 district. The question is why did Unit 5 build this wing to essentially be a day care? Don’t other non-profit organizations, like Marc First, have better facilities for kids who need intense services?

I filed a FOIA on 8/3, I still don’t have all the information but I received a little more this morning:

The bulk of ongoing operations (teachers, TAs, etc) are funded out of the Educational Fund.  Custodian and maintenance expenditures are funded by the Operations & Maintenance Fund. I am still collecting the teacher salary and benefit information.

Note: Educational Fund, the same one Unit 5 claims needs a massive increase to your property taxes.

Also by FOIA: At the end of last year this wing had 4 classrooms and 29 students.

I was suppose to get the salaries of 4 teachers and an unknown number of paraprofessionals yesterday, still waiting.

Taxpayers need to tell the School Board they are chasing people out of their district with ridiculous property taxes. The meeting is at 6:30 at Normal West. If you want to speak show up early, I believe they will only accept signups for Public Comment until 6:15.

Next, the School Board needs replaced next April.

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