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District 205 Board Tables Facilities Plan; Board Member Blames Public, Criticizes Media
POSTED 9:30pm 6/14/10, UPDATED 6:00am 6/15/10 Whatever support the Galesburg School Board had on the development of a 20-year plan to essentially overhaul every building in District 205, has not turned into support for the plan itself.

The Galesburg School Board Monday night voted 7-0 to table the adoption of the plan dubbed "Operation Re-Build/Achieve," and table asking the Knox County Board to approve putting a proposed one-percent sales tax increase on the November election ballot that would pay for about a third of the $110 million in projects.

The vote to table came after board member Robert Lindstrom said the public isn't informed on the proposal, despite extensive coverage of it by both WGIL and the Register-Mail since last October.

"The only publicity, to my knowledge, that has been involved with this plan, has been in the Register-Mail," Lindstrom said. "With all due respect to our people here, there's a whole lot of folks in Galesburg who don't read that newspaper."

"It's been on WGIL, though," District 205 Superintendent Dr. Gene Denisar said.

"I understand, but there's a whole lot of people who don't listen to the radio either," Lindstrom said. "It seems to me that the only way you're going to get the information to [the public] is through the schools."

Lindstrom was on the Master Facilities committee, and that saying he had "a lot of problems with the plan" made him feel "uncomfortable."

Board Vice President Dr. Carl Strauch doesn't see it that way.

"The public has had plenty of chances," Strauch said. "The board met last month. This board had a meeting last week, we're having a meeting tonight. There's articles in the paper about it. People don't care. People trust us to make the right decisions. And if they chose not to come, it's their problem, not ours."

Denisar, who says the formation of such a plan was written into his contract, believes there's no time like the present to start moving forward.

"Galesburg Community Schools are poised on a turning point," Denisar said. "This vote is going to tell us which way we're going to go. Are we going to turn towards a positive? Are we going to keep our schools viable, good places of learning, places where children will be safe, and comfortable, and can learn at the highest level -- highest student achievement?"

Several other board members said they support the concept of the plan, just not what's in it.

The plan and the proposed sales tax increase will likely both be considered next month.

For more information on the Master Facilities Plan, CLICK HERE.


(Galesburg School District Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations, Guy Cahill, speaks at an October, 2009 meeting of the Master Facilities Planning Committee at Galesburg High School. WGIL News Story and File Photo by Will Stevenson.)
06 15 10 by Newsroom
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