Latest news with #SheilaBoozer
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Champaign Superintendent out and tempers flare at the latest school board meeting
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Champaign School district had their third special meeting to decide the future of the superintendent went sideways after yelling, tense moments, and a near fight all happened within two hours. Tonight's agenda only had two items on it — and both pertained to the future of Superintendent Sheila Boozer. It also was the third special meeting this month for the new board — and it quickly became one of the rowdiest yet. The board decided to approve the separation agreement with current Superintendent Sheila Boozer. They also moved to task Dan Casillas as acting superintendent until an interim is named. Both of these decisions were expected to pass — and did by a 5-2 margin. What wasn't expected was the loud back-and-forth at the end between the audience and members of the board. Thursday was the third special meeting for the new Champaign school board — and perhaps the most consequential. Once again, it started with fiery public comment, with many in the crowd showing support at the podium for Sheila Boozer keeping her job as superintendent. 'The time that is necessary is being unjustly cut short. Your legacy will endure. You've shown us what it means to lead with integrity,' said incoming Booker T. Washington principal Cecil Thomas. 'Disrespected our superintendent, but you got what you wanted,' said one speaker during public comment. Shows of support also came from Champaign County NAACP President Minnie Pearson. 'What would it have been like if you had been as supportive of Dr. Boozer as you criticized her?' said Pearson. After about an hour of public comment, the board got to new business — approving an amended employment agreement with Boozer, which will see her depart from the district. 'This agreement has been negotiated between district lawyers and the personal lawyer of Dr. Sheila Boozer over the last couple of weeks,' said Board President Tony Bruno. Justin Michael Hendrix and Grace Kang were the sole two members voting against. 'I was not in favor of this as well, because this requires some additional money and I don't feel like that is being very fiscally responsible,' said Kang. 'The name Sheila comes from Irish origins and Latin roots meaning heavenly. Yet we have been unable to experience this heavenly presence due to power moves I can only consider wicked,' said Hendrix. The board also voted Dan Casillas as acting superintendent — pending the appointment of a more full-time interim. Once again, Hendrix and Kang voted against. 'I give it back to you all, because this is disgusting,' said Hendrix. Then, the meeting went off the rails. A loud and disruptive back-and-forth happened between the board and the audience over the approved decisions, culminating with a man charging at Board President Tony Bruno after former Board President Gianina Baker spoke out from the crowd. Board President Tony Bruno confirmed Boozer will remain on paid administrative leave until her contract expires in June 2026. He also says their agreement will eventually be made public — and says Boozer will need to sign it for the agreement to go into operation. Boozer herself was not at the meeting tonight. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
EDITORIAL: Voters sent variety of messages, including their disinterest
Apr. 4—Another election has come and gone, although judging by the paltry turnout, relatively few registered voters either knew or cared about it. Some pride was expressed in the fact that 2,000 more voters turned out for Tuesday's election than four years ago. That "surge" pushed the turnout to around 15 percent — a totally unimpressive number, but par for the course in Illinois' foolish spring elections. Whatever the turnout level, however, City of Champaign Township voters have demonstrated they're not interested in approving a significant property-tax increase. Just as they did in the November general election, voters rejected a proposed 428 percent property-tax hike — from 0.0417 to 0.2203 cents per $100 of assessed valuation — intended to, among other things, fund the Strides Shelter beyond October. The vote was 4,381 to 3,006. That raises two questions: How long will it be before re-elected Township Supervisor Kyle Peterson and trustees decide to ask voters for a third time to raise their property taxes to support a shelter? What will the township do about the shelter — close it down because it can't afford it, or try to drum up the money elsewhere? There a lesson here for all public officials — never fund a planned permanent service like the shelter with one-time grant money. It's the height of fiscal idiocy. Why? The answer should be obvious, but obviously is not: Without a guaranteed source of permanent funding, failure is almost inevitable. Voters' rejection is more proof of how fed up they are with government at all levels nickle-and-diming them into financial distress and personal frustration. That's why when people have the opportunity to say no to higher taxes, they usually do. The other significant election Tuesday involved the Champaign school board. The seven-member body that will soon have five new members will also soon have a controversial decision to make — what to do about the employment status of beleaguered Superintendent Sheila Boozer. Members of the current board have been at sword's point in recent months, their back-and-forth exchanges of vitriolic rhetoric on display for all to see. They have provided a textbook example for the newbies on how to disagree while being disagreeable. The public can do without a continuation of these kind of displays, which can only undermine public confidence in a school system whose poor performance already has alienated many who would like to support public education. Beyond that, the elections were more about symbolism than substance. Urbana and Tolono elected their first Black mayors. Democrats displayed their iron grip on Champaign County politics by taking over Champaign Township. Overall, however, the consolidated elections of 2025 were another disappointment — too few candidates running in competitive races and too little interest among voters in the contests that were actually contested.
