Unit 5

Normal West Community High School showed its support for Leah Marlene on Sunday as she advanced to the top three of "American Idol." A hometown concert is set for Tuesday in Normal.

Three additional public information meetings are planned for May, to address Unit 5’s multimillion-dollar deficit.

Unit 5's Colene Hoose Elementary School broke ground on the new world-class playground designed by Danish architect Helle Nebelong. The new playground will teach kids to care about the environment long term by exposing them now.

A cohort of finalists from the 2020-21 Illinois Teacher of the Year contest and other education-focused groups are pushing for legislation that would require schools to have policies specific to racial harassment on the books.

For the second year in a row, Unit 5 expects to draw more than 1,000 students to its summer school programs in an effort to help close education gaps created by the pandemic.

Despite a year filled with controversy over busing problems, Unit 5 will keep First Student next year.

A virtual public information session about Unit 5’s financial crisis, and whether addressing it might include pushing for a tax hike referendum, drew about 200 attendees Tuesday night.

With Unit 5 serving over 12,000 students, that number only growing larger, and the budget getting smaller each year, the school board has turned to the community to help them determine the future of the schools.

Jenn Latzke will no longer teach 8th grade social studies at Chiddix Junior High after her position was eliminated. She says the subject will now be taught by teachers with no certification, creating an "uneven playing field" for students.

School board matters have become increasingly heated, tense and personal during the COVID-19 pandemic and revived culture wars.