Unit 4 School District has entered into a Future Facilities Planning Process to address the future facilities of the school district, including Central High School, the three middle schools, and Dr. Howard and Southside elementary schools. The process will be guided by a 30 member steering committee co-chaired by Planning Director Bruce Knight and Board of Education member Kristine Chalifaux. The committee includes representation from across the community and school district, and includes Assistant Planning Director Rob Kowalski as a member. A project website has been established which can be found at http://futurefacilities.champaignschools.org/. The process has a number of elements including opinion research (focus groups and a phone survey), data analysis (enrollment projections, demographic profile, and facilities assessment), and public engagement. The engagement part of the process kicked off with a Futures Conference held on November 1 from 1-5 pm at the Hawthorn Suites Hotel. To broaden the community input, a second Futures Conference is scheduled for November 29 at Booker T. Washington elementary school from 6-8 pm. Pizza and child care will be available at this event. Based on what is learned from the above steps, the district’s consultant, DeJONG-RICHTER will develop options and ultimately a recommendation for consideration of the Board of Education. If you have any questions please feel free to contact the Planning Department.
