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Tri-City Register
New laptops arrive at Tri-City School
District
By Byron Painter
Editor
New Apple laptops have arrived in the Tri-City School District, Superintendent Dave Bruno
reported to the school board last Thursday night.
Teachers are using them in workshops, and fourth-graders are using them in class for
assignments using the Web quest model.
Elementary students are making I-Movies now, noted Bruno, who has emphasized technology in
the district since becoming superintendent last year.
Jay McCullough came to the board to present his case for de-annexing his property from T-C
and into Riverton.
McCullough, who has a nine-acre property on the southwest side of Interstate 72, spoke at the
Riverton school board meeting last week and then took his case to the T-C board. He currently
pays tuition for his son to attend Riverton schools after he moved onto the property last summer.
Only five of the seven board members were in attendance, according to Bruno.
The entire board will get a report on this situation and then get back to McCullough with a
decision.
In a related issue, the next Gillman property annexation hearing will be April 7. That property is
40 acres.
Bruno has discussed restructuring current bonds the district has.
Right now, the bonds are set to increase every year through 2019, but he is looking to level off
the bonds after increasing them for one year.
“We would save money in the long run, and it would be smart for us to look at this,” said Bruno,
who compared his plan to refinancing a house because of declining interest rates.
In the bus report, there is now a camera in one of the buses, and another one is in Bruno’s office
ready to be installed. Every bus ordered in the future will come with cameras as well.
During high school principal Duane Schupp’s report, the possibility of a Smart Music program
(essentially an independent study) was discussed. Lessons would be taken through the
Internet, which could help alleviate scheduling conflicts for students at the high school.
Nothing would happen until next school year, Bruno noted.
The dance policy has been finalized; no junior high student or no person over 21 can attend a
high school dance. This policy will be included in next year’s handbook.
The course overview previously reported in the Register was finalized, so keyboarding will be a
sixth-grade offering and speech class will be part of sophomore English. A weightlifting class
and a PSAE class for juniors will also be added.
The board approved the summer driver’s education program; the only thing left to finalize is the
instructor signing the contract already agreed to verbally.
There will be a townwide garage sale April 5, one day after the Education Foundation Dinner.
At the garage sale, old uniforms from various sports will be sold, with some kept for display
purposes. Anything not sold will be discarded, according to Bruno, so if someone wants a
particular uniform with a specific number, that garage sale will be the last chance.
The district will look into buying a handicapped-accessible van in the future, but it will rent one as
needed for current students.
The board voted to hire Ideal Environmental Engineering out of Bloomington to do its every-two-
year bleacher inspection.
Two non-tenured teachers were not rehired, and a resignation, effective March 10, of Rachel
Miller (through Sangamon Area Special Education District) was accepted. A new junior high
math teacher, Clemens Uptomor, was also hired.
District
By Byron Painter
Editor
New Apple laptops have arrived in the Tri-City School District, Superintendent Dave Bruno
reported to the school board last Thursday night.
Teachers are using them in workshops, and fourth-graders are using them in class for
assignments using the Web quest model.
Elementary students are making I-Movies now, noted Bruno, who has emphasized technology in
the district since becoming superintendent last year.
Jay McCullough came to the board to present his case for de-annexing his property from T-C
and into Riverton.
McCullough, who has a nine-acre property on the southwest side of Interstate 72, spoke at the
Riverton school board meeting last week and then took his case to the T-C board. He currently
pays tuition for his son to attend Riverton schools after he moved onto the property last summer.
Only five of the seven board members were in attendance, according to Bruno.
The entire board will get a report on this situation and then get back to McCullough with a
decision.
In a related issue, the next Gillman property annexation hearing will be April 7. That property is
40 acres.
Bruno has discussed restructuring current bonds the district has.
Right now, the bonds are set to increase every year through 2019, but he is looking to level off
the bonds after increasing them for one year.
“We would save money in the long run, and it would be smart for us to look at this,” said Bruno,
who compared his plan to refinancing a house because of declining interest rates.
In the bus report, there is now a camera in one of the buses, and another one is in Bruno’s office
ready to be installed. Every bus ordered in the future will come with cameras as well.
During high school principal Duane Schupp’s report, the possibility of a Smart Music program
(essentially an independent study) was discussed. Lessons would be taken through the
Internet, which could help alleviate scheduling conflicts for students at the high school.
Nothing would happen until next school year, Bruno noted.
The dance policy has been finalized; no junior high student or no person over 21 can attend a
high school dance. This policy will be included in next year’s handbook.
The course overview previously reported in the Register was finalized, so keyboarding will be a
sixth-grade offering and speech class will be part of sophomore English. A weightlifting class
and a PSAE class for juniors will also be added.
The board approved the summer driver’s education program; the only thing left to finalize is the
instructor signing the contract already agreed to verbally.
There will be a townwide garage sale April 5, one day after the Education Foundation Dinner.
At the garage sale, old uniforms from various sports will be sold, with some kept for display
purposes. Anything not sold will be discarded, according to Bruno, so if someone wants a
particular uniform with a specific number, that garage sale will be the last chance.
The district will look into buying a handicapped-accessible van in the future, but it will rent one as
needed for current students.
The board voted to hire Ideal Environmental Engineering out of Bloomington to do its every-two-
year bleacher inspection.
Two non-tenured teachers were not rehired, and a resignation, effective March 10, of Rachel
Miller (through Sangamon Area Special Education District) was accepted. A new junior high
math teacher, Clemens Uptomor, was also hired.
Issue Date: March 27, 2008