Dr. John Asplund, Superintendent of Galesburg CUSD #205, joins Galesburg's Morning News to discuss preparations for the 2025-26 school year, starting Monday, Aug. 11. Asplund shares updates on registration, fees, staffing, the school calendar, facility improvements, and a new athletic eligibility policy.
Key points include:
Registration
- 90–95% of students registered as of mid-July 2025; online registration closed the week of July 21.
- In-person registration nights start Tuesday, July 29, and continue next week at the district office.
- Early registration ensures proper class seating and teacher allocation.
Fees
- No registration fees; free breakfast and lunch (first meal), with à la carte second meals at a cost.
- Driver’s education fee: $250; no fees for sports, band, or choir.
- Parents encouraged to provide minimal, personal school supplies; community groups like Rotary assist families in need.
School Calendar
- Starts Monday, Aug. 11, with a “go a quarter, take a break” structure: fall break (week of Oct. 13), Thanksgiving break (Wednesday–Friday), two-week winter break (Friday, Dec. 19), and mid-March spring break.
Enrollment
- Estimated at 3,800 students, slightly down from 4,100–4,200 eight years ago.
Northside Project
- New Warehouse: Expected to open by Sept. 1; features loading dock, offices, restrooms, and vertical storage.
- Wicall Gym Addition: Opens mid-October 2025 with new entrance, restrooms, weight room, wrestling room, and turf hitting bays; naming still undecided, open to donations.
- Artificial Turf Fields: Softball field nearly complete, Jim Sundberg baseball field done by late August 2025; low-maintenance turf with drainage allows quick play post-rain.
- Future Plans: Bleachers, bathrooms, and concessions for baseball/softball complex under consideration for next year or later.
Policy Change
- “No pass, no play” athletic eligibility rule: Students cannot fail any classes to participate, with tutoring support to reduce ineligibility.
Community Events
- NAACP cookout: Saturday, August 9, 2025, morning at Kiwanis Park.
- Free haircuts: Sunday, August 3, 2025, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. at King School by Bella Hair Studio.
- School-specific back-to-school nights; check school webpages for details.
Asplund expresses optimism, stating, “We’re feeling really good about the start of the school year and as ready as we’ve ever been.”
John Asplund, District 205 Superintendent of Schools. (WGIL)
