"We're in the business of students and we should not ever, ever lose sight of that." That was the sentiment left by outgoing board member Tianna Cervantez who made her final comments as a member of Galesburg CUSD #205 on Monday night. In a special meeting prior to the start of the Regular May meeting, she was honored for her service on the board, including her time as the board president. She said that when she was elected in 2015, she came in with a few goals. "Make sure we were being responsible to our taxpayers. Making sure the students were the focus. And, making sure that our teachers, administrators, and staff felt appreciated." Cervantez said that when she was seated, she found the situation was much worse than what had been shared. From the district operating on deficit spending to the upkeep of the facilities being ignored, she was part of a board that made some very difficult decisions. However, in her time on the board, the district has turned things
The Board of Education for Galesburg CUSD #205 approved a pilot pre-k program Monday night, meant to help transition students who may not be developmentally ready for kindergarten. The pilot program, called Begindergarten is designed for kindergarten-aged children who may not be quite ready for the kindergarten environment from a social-emotional standpoint. Bright Futures Principal Jennifer Graves told the school board there have been behaviors that kindergarten teachers have seen in the last year that they've never seen before among young learners. "The biggest thing when I'm talking to the kindergarten teachers is there are kids coming in that have never stepped foot in a school before. So, they don't even know how to be around other kids," Graves said during her presentation to the school board. "And, some of our students that went through the pandemic didn't even get to go to babysitters, grandparents, play-dates, things like that. So, they haven