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Chicago Tribune
20-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
DuPage Regional Office of Education moving education center from Addison to old Indian Plains School building in Aurora
The DuPage Regional Office of Education is moving its Center for Student Success, which provides alternative education programs to students in the county, from its current location in Addison to Indian Prairie School District 204's old Indian Plains School building in Aurora, officials said. The agreement was approved by Indian Prairie's school board at its meeting Monday. Classes will begin at the new location on Aug. 20, according to a news release from the DuPage Regional Office of Education. The Center for Student Success hosts several programs for students, including Rebound, Partners for Success and the Alternative Learning Opportunities program. The Rebound program allows students who have received out-of-school suspensions of four to 10 days to continue doing school work rather than remaining at home, said DuPage Regional Office of Education Regional Superintendent Amber Quirk, while the Partners for Success program places students out of school for longer periods of time. The Alternative Learning Opportunities program helps individuals looking to earn a high school equivalency prepare for the exam needed to earn it and look into postsecondary options. In the new facility, the Regional Office of Education also hopes to host workshops for educators, Quirk said, as the Indian Plains building is bigger than its current space in Addison. The DuPage Regional Office of Education operated programming out of the Old Mill School in Addison for more than two decades, Quirk said. She said the current building needs renovations, and that they're looking for more space. The move to the Indian Plains building is temporary, however. The lease agreement is set for a two-year period starting July 1, per Monday's meeting agenda, with the option to extend for a third year. The DuPage Regional Office of Education has said it is continuing to look for a permanent location for the center. The Indian Plains building at 1322 N. Eola Road in Aurora has not been used for student programming by the district for several years, according to a memo from District 204 Chief School Business Official Matt Shipley. It is currently being used for professional development, offices for a few district staff and storage for the district, all of which will be located to other facilities when the Regional Office of Education begins using the space. The building is 'near the end of its life,' per the memo included in Monday's meeting agenda, although it has been maintained up to code. The district is developing a plan for eventually divesting itself of the building. The first year's annual rent of the space is set at $175,000, per the lease agreement between the district and the DuPage Regional Office of Education, with increases to $185,000 for the second year and $195,000 if the office extends the lease for a third year. That covers all operating and maintenance costs for the facility, the memo from Shipley said, and the Regional Office of Education is to reimburse the district for custodial, maintenance and utilities services, as well as use the district's food service program.
Chicago Tribune
12-05-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Indian Prairie District 204 Superintendent Adrian Talley named Educator of the Year by DuPage education group
Adrian Talley, the superintendent of Indian Prairie School District 204, was recently named Educator of the Year by the DuPage Regional Office of Education. Talley — along with other winners from districts in Wheaton, Hinsdale, Naperville and other areas in the county — was recognized at an event on May 1, according to a news release from the DuPage Regional Office of Education. Joining neighboring counties' offices which give out annual educator awards, this was the DuPage Regional Office of Education's first time hosting such an event, and it plans to make it an annual tradition. Talley took over as superintendent of the district in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to past reporting. Since then, he said a major focus of his leadership has been efforts focused on mental health. In recent years, the district has secured a $1.25 million grant from Endeavor Health for school-based counseling services, along with a $500,000 state grant for counseling for high school students and a $500,000 grant from Edward Elmhurst Health for mental health assistance for students in lower grades. The district also recently held its third annual mental health symposium, which now includes participation from nearby school districts. The DuPage Regional Office of Education recognized Talley for these initiatives, as well as his 'commitment to equity, innovation and student-centered learning,' the office's news release noted. The mental health efforts are also some of the accomplishments Talley told The Beacon-News he's most proud of during his time with the district. He noted that Indian Prairie has shared the district's free counseling concept with 20 other school districts, and helped them write their grant applications. Talley said he was nominated by the district's assistant superintendent of equity and innovation Nader Najjar, who coordinated the letters of recommendation submitted on Talley's behalf for the award. He said winning the award was a 'complete surprise.' 'I don't work for this,' Talley said of the award. 'I think it's important that I'm doing the work, I'm orchestrating some of this and I have the people around me who make it all possible.' Talley also noted the district's work on equity during his tenure: establishing equity ambassadors in district schools, forming an equity plan and continuing work with staff on affinity groups. And he said, aside from the awards, the day-to-day recognition of teachers and school employees is appreciated too. Talley said he has letters 'that are more than 20 years old' that parents have sent him. 'It's like, when I'm moving, I'll look at them, and I'm like, 'I'm gonna keep this letter. I will always have this letter,'' he said. Now, as Talley prepares for his last school year at Indian Prairie before stepping down, he said he plans to continue work on mental health efforts, among his other responsibilities. He said the district has another grant application in the works right now. 'One of the things I learned in education: you never complete anything,' he said. 'There's always stuff that's unfinished … it was very hard for me to say I wanted to walk away, knowing that I had all of this work that still needed to be done. And so, from construction work to work that we're doing on grading and reporting.' He said he's focused on ensuring a smooth transition for his successor — keeping track of the work he does on a monthly basis so the new superintendent understands the expectations of the job, for example. 'I don't think I'll finish anything,' Talley said, 'but have it ready for the new superintendent to pick up.'
