Tuesday, April 9, 2013
The discussion is cordial, but School District 304 votes 7-0 for a resolution against a virtual online charter school in Geneva.
Illinois Virtual Charter School @ Fox River Valley brought many of its big guns to Monday night's School Board meeting in Geneva—including President Sharnell Jackson—but after a presentation and cordial conversation, the School District 304 Board of Education unanimously rejected the proposal to bring the charter school here. "It was a bit late," School Board member Mary Stith said. "And the problem I‘m wrestling with is taking this money away from our district." Stith said it costs about $6,300 to educate a student in Geneva each year, and the charter school could take as much as $8,000 per pupil from district coffers if it were to start up a Fox Valley charter school option that would serve students in Geneva and 17 other area districts…
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Geneva Patch asks the eight School Board candidates their positions on the fate of the Coultrap facility prior to Monday's vote. Here's what they have to say.
On Monday night, the Geneva Board of Education is expected to vote on whether to demolish the 90-year-old Coultrap facility. A Facilities Planning Task Force recommended in May that the building, which originally served as Geneva's high school and had incarnations as a middle school and grade school, should be torn down and the property held as green space until such time as the high school needs to expand. The decision is a difficult one that includes concerns about historic preservation, safety and dollars and cents. With the School Board election coming on April 9, Geneva Patch asked each of the eight candidates to answer the following questions for an article to be published prior to Monday's School Board meeting: As of Sunday night, …
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School District 304 Coultrap Facility
1113 Peyton St, Geneva, IL
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Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Familiar names and newcomers are vying for four seats in the April 2013 School Board elections. Five lottery winners grab top spots on the ballot.
The game of musical chairs already has started for the April election for Geneva School Board. As of Wednesday, with a week left to file, nine candidates have submitted petitions to compete for four seats on Geneva School District 304's Board of Education. Five candidates—all of whom submitted their petitions at 7:30 a.m. Monday—drew lots Wednesday morning to determine the order of the ballot. The remaining ballot slots are filled in the order they are received. As of Wednesday morning, the April 9 ballot would look like this: We'll get to know each of them much better in the coming weeks and months, but this is what we know on the surface. Grosso and Wilson are the incumbents. Grosso presently is School Board president and is seeking his …
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Geneva Community School District 304
227 N 4th St, Geneva, IL
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Tuesday, November 20, 2012
The contract established with Tuesday night's vote offers across-the-board "step" raises in the second and third years as well as generous retirement incentives, but it also signals a sea change in compensation practices of the past.
At last, it's over. Geneva School District 304 put an end to eight months of contract negotiations Tuesday, when it voted 6-0 to ratify a new three-year agreement with the Geneva Education Association. In a brief opening statement, School Board President Mark Grosso called for the community to come together and "begin mending any strained relationships that may have occurred during this process." The contract summary released Tuesday by the Geneva Board of Education signals fundamental changes in the ways District 304 rewards employees for quality work. Under past contracts, teachers received yearly across-the-board "step" increases, plus cost-of-living increases, plus up to nine "lane" salary increases for completing coursework toward …
Sunday, November 11, 2012
The Geneva teachers union says the School Board's notice that it will not pay teachers' insurance premiums during a strike constitutes a threat and intimidation.
- GOVERNMENT
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Sunday, November 11, 2012
The Geneva Education Asssocation issued a press release Saturday saying it has filed an unfair labor practice charge against Geneva Community Unit District 304, saying the board was trying to intimidate the teachers union from going on strike by saying teachers would have to pay for their full health and dental insurance premiums for every day during a work stoppage. The press release says the School Board "sent a threat directly to teachers in an illegal attempt to coerce/intimidate them from their plans to engage in a lawful strike." According to the release published on the GEA website, the dispute arose Wednesday when teachers received letters from the School Board regarding the health and dental insurance premiums and other items that…
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
School Board president calls the tactic “particularly troubling." Geneva Education Association president calls the board's account of the negotiations "disturbing." Negotiations continue Nov. 6.
Geneva School Board President Mark Grosso said in a District 304 press release Tuesday that the Geneva teachers union was filing for a strike five hours before talks ended Friday. The Geneva Education Association countered with its own press release Tuesday evening, posted on the gea4students website, calling the School Board's accusations "disturbing" and saying it had to file at that time to make a 4:30 p.m. deadline with the Kane County Regional Office of Education and the Illinois Educational Labor Relations Board. Both sides said they made dramatic movement from their posted final offers and acknowledged that a settlement appeared to be in reach during the 12-hour Friday bargaining session. “What is particularly troubling is that, …
Monday, September 17, 2012
You can also pick up petitions at the School District offices on Fourth Street in Geneva.
- SCHOOLS
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Monday, September 17, 2012
Nominating petition forms for the April 9, 2013, School Board election in Geneva Community Unit School District 304 are now available online at www.geneva304.org/board_of_education/2013_elections.asp. Persons interested in running for the Geneva Board of Education may also obtain forms at the School District’s Central Office, 227 N. Fourth Street, on any business day between 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. A School Board candidate’s petition must be filed in the same office no earlier than 7:30 a.m. on Monday, Dec. 17, 2012, and no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 24, 2012. Nominating papers may be filed by the candidate in person, by mail, or by an agent. Candidates’ names will appear on the election ballot in the order in which their nominating…
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Geneva Community School District 304
227 N 4th St, Geneva, IL
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319758
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Tuesday, May 29, 2012
School District 304 considers a proposal Tuesday night that would add a bilingual teacher and a part-time English Language Learners position to our elementary schools.
The Geneva School Board packet for the Tuesday, May 29, meeting includes a recommendation to increase staffing, particularly in the area of special education and special needs. According to the report by Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Craig Collins, district funds would be used to increase staff by 1.5 FTEs, or full-time equivalent positions. The district also will swap some new positions for some old ones and add 2.3 FTEs via federal grant funds. The 1.5 additional positions that would be paid by the School District include a full-time bilingual elementary teacher at Harrison Street School and a part-time English Language Learners position. One big reason for the additional staffing is state mandates. "We are required by …
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School District 304 Coultrap Facility
1113 Peyton St, Geneva, IL
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Mitch Dinges
8:49 am on Thursday, April 11, 2013
No doubt about it! All we would be doing is transferring GREED from a teachers union to a corporation. more ›