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Beecher School Board Tosses Around Idea of a Referendum
By Jeff Vorva Members of the District 200U board are weighing their options on a possible referendum regarding the makeup of the seven-member board. For decades, the rules for the makeup of the board has consisted of at least two members coming from unincorporated areas and no more than five from incorporated areas. At the…
200-U Tackling Truancy Head On
By Jeff Vorva Beecher’s schools are going to take an active approach to truancy. At the District 200-U Board of Education meeting on March 11, Superintendent Jack Gaham said the State of Illinois considers any student with 14 absences as truant, regardless if they are excused or unexcused. That included days used as mental health…
200-U Making Up That Snow Day
By Jeff Vorva Two new part-time positions have been added to the Beecher School District 200-U roster and will be filled with current full-time employees. Kerry Pikal will serve as a dean at Beecher Junior High, and Paul Vogel will serve as the technology coordinator for the district, starting next school year. Both will continue…
Beecher Superintendent Gaham Believes Numbers Don’t Tell the Whole Story
By Jeff Vorva Numbers were crunched and chomped, spit out, and analyzed. But the bottom line is that Beecher 200U is pretty much in line with the rest of the state in reading, below in math, but ahead in science, according to the recently released state report cards. At the district’s January 8 board meeting,…
Beecher 200-U Bringing the Chickens to Roost
By Jeff Vorva The passing of the Beecher 200-U tax levy had a barnyard feel to it with chickens coming to roost. District Superintendent Jack Gaham threw out a lot of facts, figures, and percentages during a Truth In Taxation hearing at the December 11 board meeting. Some residents were confused about the increases, thinking…
Beecher School Board Making Things Perfectly CLEAR
By Jeff Vorva The Beecher 200U school board made things perfectly CLEAR on Nov. 13. It is taking a pro-active approach to residency scofflaws and approved to enter the CLEAR Investigation Software program to catch those students who do not live in the district. CLEAR is a product from Thompson Reuters Legal Solutions and District…
Illinois Report Card Math Scores a Concern in Beecher
By Jeff Vorva Beecher 200-U Superintendent Jack Gaham received a sneak preview of the Illinois Report Card scores and he’s concerned with the district’s math results. “The (overall) results for all three school will be commendable,” Gaham said at the October 11 school board meeting. “But there is a need to focus on our math.…
Beecher High School Missing a Variable in the Equation
By Jeff Vorva The school year is ready to kick off in mid-August, and one thing is not adding up at Beecher High School. Or subtracting. Or dividing. At the July 10 District 200-U board meeting, Superintendent Jack Gaham was concerned about a spot still open on the teaching roster for a high school math…
Beecher School Board Had Good News Regarding Budget
By Jeff Vorva On a night in which softball players and track stars were honored for state success, Beecher School District 200-U Superintendent Jack Gaham clarified the role of a new sports booster club. At the June 12 board meeting, Gaham said the booster club formed, and he wanted to let the public know its…
Price of School Lunches Could Increase in Beecher
By Jeff Vorva The prices of lunches are going up and the Beecher 200-U School Board is game planning a way not to get socked with a big bill. At the May 8 school board meeting, Superintendent Jack Gaham said that last year, using Itasca-based Arbor Management, Inc., it cost $3.49 per meal at the…
200-U’s Money Woes Didn’t Disappear With Referendum Passage
By Jeff Vorva This isn’t some magic trick. This isn’t a case of – poof – all financial troubles just disappearing. The Beecher 200-U referendum from the April 4 election unofficially passed, and it will help ease a $1 million deficit and avoid many painful cuts. However… Superintendent Jack Gaham wasn’t taking a victory lap.…
Beecher School Board Candidate: Todd Gregory
I decided to go to my first School board meeting during covid when I thought the decision were hurting the kids. I thought I could have conversation and rationally explain, and they would make changes. But the Government system was in place and the following months and years things did not get better. My friends…
Familiar Faces Speak at Beecher School Board Meeting
By Jeff Vorva The public comment portion of the Beecher School District 200-U board meeting on March 13 had some familiar faces make comments. Some of the board members themselves. A couple of members commented on the April 4 referendum, in which the board is asking for a 5.35 percent referendum rate, which would cost…
School District 200U 4-Year Board Candidate: Ashley Fluechtling
Home Address/years in the school district: 5.5 years Community Involvement: Volunteer at Faith Church Beecher Food Pantry Organization/Club Memberships: Family Readiness Group Leader for my husbands Army Unit Charlie Battery 2-122 Field Artillery Awards and Honors: Molly Pitcher Award (2013) Professional Background: Owner of HVAC Masters, Inc. since 2017 Education: B. S. in Environmental Science…
School District 200U 4-Year Board Candidate: Susan Siwinski
Home Address/years in the school district: 1699 windscape lane, Beecher IL 60401, Since 2012 Community Involvement: Volunteered for Beecher Rec for 7 years Volunteered for 5 years adventure commons Organization/Club Memberships: Awards and Honors: Professional Background: Worked in general management for various companies for 20 years. General Manager for Ulta for 8 years. Involved in Human Resources, payroll,…
200U School Board 4-Year Candidate: Brandy Flores
Home Address/years in the school district: Village of Beecher, 17 years Community Involvement: I am a Beecher 200U School Board member. I have faithfully volunteered for our community for over 10 years. Besides schools and various organizations, I was a Girl Scout leader for 4 years and served on the Beecher Youth Commission for over…
School District 200U 4-Year Board Candidate: Stacy Mazurek
Years in District: 12 Community Involvement: 8 years in the Beecher Women’s Club, 4 years as a Village of Beecher Trustee, 4 years as the Liaison to Beecher Youth Commission, Served as Chair of Planning and Zoning, Served as Co-Chair of Public Works, Current Commissioner on Beecher Youth Commission, Volunteered/offered help to many community events…
