Urbana schools make facility, safety improvements

From paint jobs to principals, students in the Urbana schools will see plenty of changes in the new school year.

Preston Williams, a former Urbana teacher and longtime district employee, has become the district's new superintendent. Three principals have come in, as two former principals have retired and a third was promoted to director of human resources.

"We're excited about the fact that two of the three (new principals) are experienced as administrators," Williams said, adding that the third, with her time spent as a teacher at the school she was hired to lead, would also benefit the district.

In the spring, the school board approved a raise in local taxes to allow for about $2 million in facilities maintenance and upgrades over the next three years, starting with major improvements in several schools this summer.

With new air-conditioning units installed at Thomas Paine Elementary in May, every Urbana elementary has AC. Several schools are getting new paint jobs, new flooring and other upgrades.

Most children in those schools live nearby.

"We have neighborhood schools at the elementary level," Williams said, "so for the most part, they are able to walk to school."

And students will find a diversity unlike that of most districts in East Central Illinois.

"We're more in line with more of an urban area," he said, citing that diversity as a positive lesson for children.

"They're very open to new ideas," he said. "They're very aware of cultural differences, but they don't look at it as being a negative."

Urbana teachers have an average of 15.6 years in the profession, according to the district's 2006 Illinois state report card, 2.6 years more than the state average. However, their salaries are a little lower: an average $51,684, compared with the state's $56,685.

In June, the teachers' union and district approved a contract for the next three years, negotiating an average 4.5 percent raise during the 2007-08 school year, with slightly smaller raises for the two years thereafter.

"I am very happy with it, and it got an overwhelming response," said Tracy Luchik the night after teachers approved the contract. Luchik is the Urbana Education Association president and an Urbana Middle School teacher. "I feel that our members are happy with it also."

Academically, the district just earned a third federal grant worth nearly $1 million to improve the teaching of American history.

"Our teachers can work directly with practitioners of history, looking at national issues through the lens of local history," said Don Owen, the district's assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction.

Williams said the district focuses on having strong programs in core subjects like math and literacy and social studies, but doesn't neglect other areas.

Fine arts are taught to every elementary class, and results have included children's dance performances at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, paintings on the walls of the Burkholder Administrative Service Center and many other creative endeavors.

"Smaller districts don't have some of the offerings that we do," Williams said.

Williams said more personal attention in the classroom helps students excel.

"Our teacher-to-student ratios at the elementaries and high school are very good," he said. "At our elementaries, we're probably 1 to 20."

For the 2005-06 school year, all of the elementaries except for Prairie made adequate yearly progress on the testing required by No Child Left Behind legislation.

A subgroup of Prairie students did not make adequate progress for the first time, and programs like a Saturday morning tutoring/mentoring class for boys have been started to improve those scores.

The district also is working on its safety and security measures after incidents in the 2006-07 school year. Entrances are locked during school hours at Washington Early Childhood Center and all Urbana elementaries, and visitors must buzz in. Visitors to all schools must sign in before entering the classrooms.

The district also looks to its staff for increasing safety.

"We continue to train our staff on what things to look for," Williams said. "When it comes to issues of personnel, we revisited our procedures."

He said when district officials look at policies and procedures, they're looking at children's needs.

"We have our children's best interests at the forefront of everything that we do," he said. "I believe the primary strengths of our district are our people, both our staff, our students and our community."

SCHOOL NUMBERS

Here's how to contact Urbana District 116 schools (the Web site is www.usd116.org):

King Elementary, 1108 W. Fairview Ave.; 384-3675; Principal Jennifer Ivory-Tatum

Leal Elementary, 312 W. Oregon St.; 384-3618; Principal Spencer Landsman

Prairie Elementary, 2102 E. Washington St.; 384-3628; Principal Yavonnda Smith

Thomas Paine Elementary, 1801 James Cherry Drive; 384-3602; Principal Sandy Cooper

Washington Early Childhood, 1102 N. Broadway Ave.; 384-3513; Principal Crystal Vowels

Wiley Elementary, 1602 S. Anderson St.; 384-3670; Principal Barbara Sartain

Yankee Ridge Elementary, 2102 S. Anderson St.; 384-3608; Principal Mary Beth Norris

Urbana Middle School, 1201 S. Vine St.; 384-3687; Principal Nancy Clinton

Urbana High School, 1002 S. Race St.; 384-3524; Principal Laura Taylor