On school matters…

Hi, I’m Vice-Principal Steve Wilder. I’ll be posting thoughts and information related to school policies and things going on at U-High. If you have a question please click on “Leave a Comment” and I’ll do my best to answer!

Many area schools schedule activities on the MLK Holiday as it is difficult to find time to adequately schedule all extracurricular activities that are available. Conferences such as the Cornbelt in which U-High is a member schedules events several years in advance, and uses that day for regularly scheduled conference games.

Currently the Lab Schools are predominantly funded by state money via the per pupil foundation level and fortunately, the state continues to make these payments.  Neighboring schools rely on local property tax and other sources of state funding such as special education and transportation reimbursement and funding for a variety of other mandated categorical programs and grants.  Unfortunately, much of this State funding is being reduced or not flowing to districts on time. The Lab Schools will incur additional financial challenges as the State contemplates a reduction in the foundation level to address its large budget deficit.  In the meantime, the Superintendent has been preparing for these difficult economic times by establishing a reserve to help see us through the next couple of years.

The snow day in January will necessitate an additional day being added to the school calendar. While graduation has already been finalized for May 14, there may be a need to revise our plans for the last few days of school. A final decision will be made as we progress through Winter and enter Spring, as any other potential snow day would have an impact on the calendar as well. We ask for your patience as we wait for the seasons to progress.

Many of you may have seen the posting on the U-High website inviting interested applicants to apply for the Assistant Principal position. That deadline to submit an application is today, February 8. The next phase of the process is to review the applications and begin scheduling interviews. This will ultimately be the responsibility of our Principal, Dr. Hill, although he will be relying on the input of an interview committee throughout the process. As the interviews progress, he will work with the committee to make a final recommendation to Dr. Dean, the Laboratory School Superintendent. We are hopeful that a decision can be finalized in March to begin the transition through the remainder of the school year. Stay tuned for more information!

This is a well-timed question as work in Stroud will be starting again this week. Contractors will return to Stroud this week to begin the next phase of the project, rebuilding the auditorium. All of the demolition (just the removal of the seats, carpeting and some other pieces of equipment) has been done, as well as all of the asbestos abatement. Work will begin now to rebuild Stroud with high hopes that it will be done soon. Stay tuned for more news!

While the university does have a long-range plan for the entire campus, and there have been rumors about a new building for U-High, there is no immediate plan for a new facility.

Yes, we do issue work permits in accordance with Illinois law. You can obtain a work permit by coming to the Main Office.

Dr. Dean, the Superintendent of the Lab. Schools, has the responsibility to make the decision about snow days. In fact, Kelsey Maffett wrote an article about this on the Clarionette website. You can check it out here:

http://www.uhigh.ilstu.edu/clarionette/2009-2010%20Clarionette/1-6maffettwinterstorm.html

Great question. When weather is dangerous and travel is hazardous, students and adults should use their best judgment when deciding when it is safe to come to school. We use our best judgment when considering road conditions and deciding whether or not school should be canceled. But when students in rural areas are unable to make it to school when school is in session, their parent/guardian should contact school to let us know that they cannot make it to school. Administration will make the final decision on the validity of the excuse, and will make that judgment based on our responsibility for students and adults to maintain their safety.

Yes, students can use their own laptops at U-High. However, students should be aware that when used at school, students are required to abide by the internet use policy. In addition, students should know that they will not be able to sign on to the ISU network with their ULID. They can try to set up an account to use Guestnet, but again use of personal laptops must abide by the current Appropriate Use Policy.