Latest news with #SchoolDistrict129
Chicago Tribune
11-08-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
West Aurora School District eyes tax credit for solar project
West Aurora School District 129 is looking to install more solar panels, this time at its transportation facility in North Aurora. The school board recently authorized the district's administration to execute documents and invest $250,000 as a 'downpayment' to lock-in the availability of tax credits for a proposed solar panel canopy project at the facility. The Federal Investment Tax Credit for solar projects has a 'safe harbor' provision that permits school districts to secure tax credits by showing 'continuous progress' toward the completion of a project. The proposal is to install a canopy with solar panels at the school district's transportation facility in North Aurora, officials said. 'By investing in equipment and design costs now, we demonstrate how the project is moving forward towards our final install in the summer of 2026,' West Aurora School District Associate Superintendent of Operations Angie Smith told The Beacon-News. 'The solar panels will help offset the cost of electricity needed for our EV buses. The EV buses already will save us operating costs versus gas buses. The solar panels will reduce that cost further,' Smith said. However, to lock-in the availability of tax credits for solar projects, the district is facing a 'compressed timeline' due to incentive changes associated with President Donald Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill,' Smith said. The proposed solar canopy project would provide power to the district's EV buses. The school board last year decided to add some electric school buses to the fleet. The plan to bring in 27 electric buses to replace some older diesel models is part of the district's ongoing efforts to be environmentally conscious and reduce energy costs, district officials said. 'In order to maximize our potential credit for the solar canopy project for next summer we need to have made a significant investment by mid-August,' Smith told The Beacon-News. The tax credit is estimated to be more than $525,000, officials said. It is the district's intent to install solar panels at the transportation facility next summer. However, in order to take advantage of the safe harbor provision, the district is required to expend funds by Aug. 15, Smith said. 'I know is a very tight timeline,' she told board members. Part of the difficulty is that there are some different interpretations as to when certain things in the bill take effect. Specifically, do things take effect within a certain number of days after Trump signed the 'Big Beautiful Bill' on July 4, or later than that. In order to be 'completely conservative and protective as possible,' consultants have recommended the district have money spent by Aug. 15, Smith said. 'For this project, the tax credits are roughly $525,000. In addition, the district would be eligible for Illinois Shines solar program tax credits that will be about $35,000 a year and a ComEd inverter rebate of about $65,000 a year,' she said. Smith said when you add together all the credits, rebates and incentives, 'this roughly $1.8 million project will cost the district about $100,000 and that's before utility savings.' 'This is a project that will pay for itself, but we are not in our typical timeline,' she told the school board. 'Typically, I come to you in the fall and say here are the projects we are going to do. Then we come back to you with bids. 'For this one, if we are going to protect the tax credit, we are asking you to give me the authority to sign paperwork necessary to execute a safe harbor plan. We will then come back to you in the fall or spring and review the normal process,' Smith said 'We're basically spending on the front-end for design fees and some of the materials,' Smith said. The administration will come back to the school board to discuss labor and construction-related matters for the project, she said. 'I know it's a little bit awkward but what we are doing is protecting roughly half-of-a-million dollars,' Smith said. The school board authorized the district expend $250,000 towards the project The school board essentially is putting 'a deposit down' to secure solar power for the transportation facility, Smith said. It basically protects the possible tax credit. 'If we didn't do it, we run the risk that by the time we go to apply for a tax credit, it might be nothing,' she said. 'The district is trying to receive the most tax credit.'
Chicago Tribune
10-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Contract extension approved for West Aurora School District superintendent
The West Aurora School District 129 board recently approved a one-year extension of Superintendent Michael Smith's contract. 'Dr. Smith has the full support from the school board, as can be seen by the unanimous consent to extend his contract with the district another year,' West Aurora School District Board President Richard Kerns said in a response to questions from The Beacon-News. Smith had spent more than two decades with the district when the board selected him in November of 2022 to be the eventual replacement for Superintendent Jeff Craig, who retired June 30, 2024. Smith stepped into the role of superintendent once Craig retired. Kerns said that Smith made a 'smooth transition' and has done a 'great job of achieving' or making 'great progress' on goals that were established last year. Smith's contract was due to end on June 30, 2027, West Aurora Associate Superintendent of Operations Angie Smith said. The board's vote extends the contract to June 30, 2028. The superintendent's new extended employment agreement is for the years July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2028. During the first year of the contract, the superintendent will receive compensation of $280,000, which includes the required contribution to the Teachers' Retirement System. His 4% salary increase for the 2025-26 school year under the agreement is the same as for the majority of the district's other administrators, Angie Smith said. The school board reviews the performance of a superintendent annually and decides when and for how long to extend the contract, she said. The board will discuss the superintendent's goals for the 2025-26 school year next month, West Aurora School District officials said.
Chicago Tribune
26-05-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
West Aurora School District renews food service contract with OrganicLife
The West Aurora School District 129 board recently voted unanimously to renew the district's food service contract with Chicago-based OrganicLife for the 2025-26 school year. OrganicLife has been the district's food service provider for the past six years. The new contract with OrganicLife has an increase in cost of 3.6% based on the Consumer Price Index, West Aurora School District Associate Superintendent Angie Smith said. West Aurora students do receive free breakfast and lunch. However, they do pay for a la cart items in the cafeteria. Those prices are not going up, Smith said. 'All students in our district receive a free breakfast and lunch daily as we are covered by the Community Eligibility Provision of the National School Lunch Program. Students only pay for a la carte items or second meals and we are not increasing those prices,' Smith said. The district overall is pleased with its food service provider, she said. 'OrganicLife is an amazing partner who continues to look for ways to better support our students. As an example, this year we met with student groups and got some feedback on increasing awareness and availability of plant-based options. At the elementary level, we have tested offering hot breakfast items as part of our menu and will roll that out to all buildings next year,' Smith said. 'We welcome feedback and OrganicLife has always been responsive and provided options and solutions for our students,' she said.
Chicago Tribune
23-05-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Three West Aurora School District educators appointed to new roles
West Aurora School District 129 has appointed three educators to new roles for the 2025-26 school year. The appointments are Crystal Dvorak as principal of McCleery Elementary School, Peter Linden as assistant principal of Fearn Elementary School and Lindsey Pilmer as assistant principal at Goodwin Elementary School. Dvorak currently serves as assistant principal of Schneider Elementary School, district officials said. She previously was an assistant principal of Hill Elementary School and principal of Freeman Elementary School in District 129. Dvorak has held administrative roles for more than a decade, including serving as principal of Marseilles Elementary School in Marseilles, Illinois, and assistant principal of Grand Reserve Elementary School in Yorkville. Linden currently serves as dean of students at Jewel Middle School, district officials said. He previously was a fifth-grade teacher in a sheltered/blended classroom at Greenman Elementary School in the district, where he supported English learners from a wide range of language and cultural backgrounds, district officials said. Pilmer currently is a reading specialist at Freeman Elementary School. She served as Freeman's acting assistant principal earlier this school year, district officials said. She brings more than a decade of classroom and instructional leadership experience, including serving as a reading specialist in West Aurora and Plainfield School District 202, according to the district.
Chicago Tribune
18-03-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
West Aurora School District support staff to get raises as part of new five-year contract
West Aurora School District 129's union office support staff will receive raises under a new five-year contract recently approved by the district's board. The West Aurora school board recently approved the collective bargaining agreement with the West Aurora Office Professionals Union that represents approximately 100 workers in the district. The agreement for clerical workers is effective July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030. Under terms of the contract, support staff will receive a $2 hourly wage increase plus a stipend based on the years of service to the district in the first year of the contract in 2025-26, West Aurora Director of Finance Ryan Abrahamson said in a summary of the terms. In each of the next two years, office staff will receive 6% hourly wage increases. Then, in the final two years of the contract – 2028-29 and 2029-30 – office workers will receive 2.5% hourly wage increases plus a hike set at half of the Consumer Price Index inflation rate. 'This is a culmination of some hard work and more importantly collaboration,' West Aurora Associate Superintendent of Operations Angie Smith told the board. West Aurora Office Professional Association President Stacy Krisch recognized members of the union's negotiating team. 'Through countless hours of preparation, we were able to present concrete ideas to the district negotiation team in what I believe to be the fastest negotiation process in history – a whopping three meetings,' Kirsch said. 'We collaborated, compromised together and came up with new ideas and ways to strengthen and improve our bargaining unit.' The union leader recognized the district's negotiating team and the school board for its leadership. 'We thank the district negotiation team and the West Aurora School Board for your support of the West Aurora Office Professional Association and your dedication to ensuring we have the highest standards of working conditions in the area,' Kirsch said. 'West Aurora has become the leader for office professionals across the area with this new contract,' Kirsch said. 'We are thrilled with the overall positive reaction from our membership as well.' Only three days of negotiations 'doesn't happen without organization,' Smith said, in recognizing the union negotiating team. 'A huge kudos to you and your team for having worked through all those things ahead of time so we make really productive use of our time. We did come up with some creative things that will help with some other unions as we negotiate down the road,' Smith said. 'This does position us well,' she said. 'We realize that often-times our office professionals are the first people that our students see and the first people parents deal with. It's really important to us that we honor them as the valuable members of our team that they are but also that we put some things in place to ensure the training that they need, the mentorship that they need are all there to make sure we can keep our team solid.' Smith recognized the district's negotiating team as well. 'This really was a very collaborative process. We are excited to be done this far ahead. It is March and we already have an agreement for July 1,' Smith said.
