Latest news with #WaukeganCommunityUnitSchoolDistrict60
Chicago Tribune
21-07-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Waukegan schools centralizing all new-student services; ‘Now it's one-stop shopping'
Registering new students for school in Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 became more convenient for the 2025-2026 term as all the services for new students are centralized in one location. Until now, families registering new students went to the Welcome Center on Greenwood Avenue in the northern part of the city to meet some of their needs and Lincoln Center, the former administrative building, to meet other requirements. With the opening of the Education Service Center at the northwest corner of Washington and Genesee streets in downtown Waukegan, the registration process and related activities — like testing and transportation — are in one place. 'Now it's one-stop shopping,' District 60 Superintendent Theresa Plascencia said. 'This allows collaboration and support for not only staff members, but all stakeholders.' Members of the District 60 administration and staff are currently in the process of moving their offices and work stations to the Education Service Center in downtown Waukegan after a gut renovation of the former First Midwest Bank building. District 60 staff began moving into the building in early July. Nick Alatzakis, the district's communications director, said the process is ongoing and hopefully everyone will be in place by the first day of school on Aug. 11. Already operating on the first floor in its new home is the Welcome Center, Eric Christianson, the district's director of academic support programs, said services like registration, transportation, nutrition, English-learners, diverse learners and student outreach are in one spot. 'These are all the things which impact the registration process of a new student,' Christianson said. 'It's helpful to the families. We have ample free parking. Before we had one small lot. It's easily accessible to public transportation. We used to have to send some people to Lincoln Center to finish.' If a language other than English is spoken in the home, Alatzakis said the child must be tested to determine the youngster's proficiency in English. If they need remedial help, they are registered for it. Student outreach provides services for unhoused families. In the past, Christianson said registration and the related services were done on an unscheduled basis. People walked into the building and registered. There could be a long wait. Now appointments are made online or by phone, which eliminates long lines out the door. If people enter unscheduled, Christianson said they are accommodated around planned appointments. Everyone signs in on arrival electronically at the reception desk. 'This is a stressful situation,' Christianson said, 'Having everything here, we can minimize the stress and avoid sending people to multiple locations.' Families of District 60 students are not the only beneficiaries of the renovation and reopening of a vacant downtown midrise. Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham said in a text Saturday that the move, 'is a fantastic opportunity that will undoubtedly attract more visitors to our vibrant downtown area.' 'This influx of people presents a unique chance for our small businesses to thrive as they draw in new customers,' he wrote. It ensures 'our community receives the support it deserves,' he added, referring to the ground floor Wraparound Center. Just over a year ago, the Wraparound Center — offering a variety of counselling and other services — opened on the lower level of the Education Service Center. It has a separate entrance with access to the facility. Occupying the mezzanine, which also has public access, are the human resources and payroll departments. Alatzakis said these departments can receive frequent visits from members of the district's staff. The upper floors are occupied by the administration and other departments. LeBaron Moten, the district's deputy superintendent for operational supports and programs, said the superintendent and her staff, the legal department, deputy, assistant and area superintendents are there, too. 'This is a more welcoming environment for families and our staff,' Moten said. 'It puts us near the College of Lake County, and (both) city and county services.' Most of the finance department and information technology will remain at Lincoln Center. Plascencia said the future of Lincoln Center's now-abundant unused space remains an open question. With the U.S. Department of Education in the process of being dismantled, there are a lot of unknowns in the educational world, she said. 'Due to the uncertainty coming from the current administration in Washington with changing executive orders, we are going to wait and see what direction the laws are going,' Plascencia said. 'We do not know about grants and other programs.'
Chicago Tribune
18-06-2025
- General
- Chicago Tribune
Lake County Juneteenth celebrations will be hosted in Waukegan this year
Before Juneteenth (June 19) became a national holiday in 2021, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, it was already an official holiday in Waukegan since 2020, recognized by the city, the Waukegan Park District, and Waukegan Community Unit School District 60. Though in the past multiple events took place in different parts of Lake County, including Waukegan, North Chicago, and Zion, this year the primary countywide celebration is Saturday in Waukegan with 12 hours of festivities in different forms. Recognizing the day slaves in Texas were told of their freedom — June 19, 1865 — more than three years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation ending slavery in the country, Juneteenth evokes a variety of feelings for Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham. 'Juneteenth will help others understand the pain and joy of our people — the pain of being enslaved and the joy of becoming free,' Cunningham, the city's first Black mayor, said. 'Now we live in a country where our dreams can be achieved. That's what Juneteenth means to me.' Juneteenth events started Thursday at the African American Museum at England Manor in Waukegan and continue with the daylong celebration — the Juneteenth Lake County Parade & Festival 2025 — Saturday in Waukegan Though the holiday is on Thursday with some events, Sylvia England, the museum's founder, said scheduling the major celebration on Saturday gives more people the opportunity to celebrate together as a community. 'A lot of people are not being given off on the 19th,' England said. 'It's kind of a regular day for many businesses. We thought it would be a bigger and better celebration if we moved it to the weekend after Juneteenth.' With ArtWauk already scheduled at 5 p.m. Saturday in downtown Waukegan, Cunningham said it will give people the chance to experience both events at the same time, hopefully expanding the Juneteenth crowd. Brandon Ewing, one of the event organizers and the past president of the District 60 Board of Education, said both the parade and recognizing Mr. Juneteenth and Ms. Juneteenth are first-time events. He has long celebrated the holiday in different ways. He is glad it is becoming a big event. 'We're showing up and representing our people living joyfully in our skins in spaces where we were once pushed to the margins,' Ewing said. Juneteenth events start at 12:30 p.m. Thursday at the museum, opening with African-style drummers. England said there will be a ceremony, music from a live band, honoring longtime members of the African American Community, and skits about Dred Scott and Harriet Tubman. There will also be a freedom walk at 5 p.m. Thursday starting outside the Grayslake Public Library. Saturday's events start at 10 a.m. with a history walk at Eugene King Park sponsored by the museum and the Waukegan Park District. Ty Rohrer, the park district's manager of cultural arts, said it will take people through different parts of the city's south side. The walk will go by the Eddie Washington Center, named for the late member of the Illinois General Assembly, and Carman-Buckner Elementary School named in part for Isabelle Buckner, District 60's first black principal. Rohrer said participants will visit graves of former slaves at Oakwood Cemetery who came to Waukegan with their freedom as well as going to Shiloh Baptist Church and Trinity AME Church. Both congregations are more than 100 years old. Ewing said the parade starts at 1 p.m. at the corner of Washington and Jackson streets, going east until it ends at Sheridan Road near the festival, which goes from 1:30 to 10 p.m. on Genesee Street from Washington to Madison streets. 'We'll have a children's area with pony rides, a petting zoo and a bouncy house,' Ewing said. 'There will be dozens of food vendors including food trucks. There will be a lot of soul food. We'll have vendors.' Opening ceremonies take place between 2:50 and 3:20 p.m. at the BCU Stage. Ewing said Mr. Juneteenth and Ms., Juneteenth will be recognized then. Eachj receives a $500 scholarship.
Chicago Tribune
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Waukegan D60 officials wary of future foreign teacher hiring; ‘It is risky to have that much of our staff, but … there is a huge teacher shortage'
With approximately 20% of Waukegan Community Unit School District 60's teachers coming from foreign countries, district officials are concerned about how the federal government's recent efforts to restrict educational visas might impact future staffing. Board of Education member Christine Lensing said at an April 22 meeting, 'the safety (concerns) of individuals coming into the United States right now are very valid.' She wants to see a 'strategic plan' reducing the reliance on teachers from other countries. Despite the uncertainty over immigration nationally, Angel Figueroa, the district's associate superintendent for human resources, said he is not concerned that the longstanding visa program with the U.S. State Department is in danger of ending. All approvals are in order before teachers arrive here. 'This program has been going on for more than eight years,' Figueroa said Monday. 'I do not foresee any change. Every teacher who comes here from another country is approved by the State Department. Licensure is approved by the Illinois State Board of Education.' The District 60 Board of Education voted 6-0 with one abstention to approve a $30,000 budget for Figueroa or members of his staff to travel both around the country and abroad to recruit teachers to fill vacancies during the April 22 meeting at the Lincoln Center administration building in Waukegan. Some teaching roles are harder to fill than others. Figueroa said bilingual teachers are particularly crucial for District 60. Approximately 50% of the students are English learners. There is also a need for diverse-learner, math and science instructors. Of the district's 1,000 teachers, Figueroa said 216 are part of the international teaching program. Some Spanish-speaking teachers also come from Puerto Rico. As American citizens, they only need ISBE approval. Though both Lensing and board President Brandon Ewing said there is a risk to bringing in such a large percentage of international teachers, finding people to teach students everywhere is a growing challenge. 'It is risky to have that much of our staff, but I do want to reiterate there is a huge teacher shortage … in Illinois, and we need a long-term strategy in order to repair that,' Ewing said. Most of the district's international teachers now come from Spain and the Philippines. Figueroa said he is considering expanding the search to South America. Waukegan first started using the program eight years ago. 'Our goal is to have qualified, certified teachers giving a quality education to all of our students in every classroom every day,' Figueroa said. Along with international travel, a part of the $30,000 can be used to recruit teachers at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Figueroa said representatives of the district recruited at HBCUs for the past school year, and will likely do so again this term. LaBaron Moten, the district's deputy superintendent for operational supports and programs, said Monday that there can be benefits with teachers sharing cultural backgrounds with students as they interact in the classroom. 'The district goes out of its way to hire certified, qualified teachers for all of our vacancies,' Moten said. 'There is value added when they can share life experiences with our students.' With international teachers coming to Waukegan and other parts of the country, Figueroa said their visa for the program allows them to remain in the U.S. for five years. Since a teacher can achieve tenure after three years, there is a path to remaining longer and possibly becoming permanent residents or citizens. Ewing said at the meeting that the district will help teachers who have become valuable members of the staff remain. The rules are not the same for everyone because, 'not all the international teachers we recruit are subject to the same things.' 'Right now, with the way the law is written, with the individuals who choose to stay we do try to assist if they stay for a certain period of time,' Ewing said. 'We help them to get permanent residency.'
Chicago Tribune
01-04-2025
- Health
- Chicago Tribune
Waukegan High student tests positive for tuberculosis
A student at the Brookside campus of Waukegan High School was diagnosed with an active case of tuberculosis (TB) last week while the Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 community was on spring break. The student is currently isolated from others and undergoing treatment, according to an email from the Lake County Health Department, which notified the district and they are working together to protect the community. District 60 Superintendent Theresa Plascencia said in an email to the school community Friday that students and staff identified as having close contact with the individual were already notified by email and given recommended actions to take. 'As a precaution, the school is undergoing recommended cleaning procedures,' Plasencia said. 'School operations will continue as usual, with continued cleaning and COVID-era air filtration enhancements in place.' TB is a disease spread through the air from person to person by an individual with active — not latent — TB, according to the health department. Symptoms of the disease include coughing, night sweats and weight loss. 'While TB is contagious, it is not spread as easily as other illnesses, such as cold or flu,' the health department said in the email. 'Although TB can be serious, it is a treatable disease. Not everyone infected with TB becomes sick.' Working closely with the health department, Plascencia said people can transmit the disease through speaking, singing or coughing. People with active TB are, 'most likely to spread TB germs to people they spend time with every day.' In her email to the school community, Plascencia said that conditions like a persistent cough lasting three weeks or longer, coughing up blood, pain with breathing, chest pain, fatigue, weakness, loss of appetite, fever, chills or night sweats are warning signs. A person with those symptoms should get tested. 'Treatment of latent TB can prevent active TB from developing which is why testing when exposed is important,' the health department said. 'We encourage anyone who is contacted by the health department about an exposure to take the necessary steps to get tested.'
