The District 153 school board and the Homewood Education Association, representing teachers in the district, have reached agreement on a two-year contract. The union represents about 180 certified teachers and 120 non-certified personnel. The agreement extends to June 2024. The union had approved the agreement prior to the board approving[Read More…]
Education
District 153 bus contract jumps by 16.8% for coming school year
The District 153 school board will be paying more for bus service next school year. The board approved a three-year contract with Kickert School Bus Line for service on its eight school bus routes, in addition to the special education routes. The contract calls for a 16.8% increase for 2022-23.[Read More…]
D153 tech department develops plan for emergencies
It’s always good to be prepared. The District 153 technology team is taking that to heart by developing an Incident Response Plan (IRP) it will be using in the event of a technology emergency. Beth White, the district’s director of technology, said the district does everything it can to prevent[Read More…]
Name the dinosaur contest ends Friday, June 24
It’s large. It’s green. And it needs a name. The board of directors of the Homewood Science Center is excited to introduce one of its new exhibits – a special kids-style dinosaur. But they want this creature to have a name. Take a good look at this dinosaur. What should[Read More…]
D161 Supt: Some good news for summer projects with ‘a little bit of bitter on the back end’
As far as summer projects go in Flossmoor School District 161, Superintendent Dana Smith had some good news Monday, June 13, during a regular meeting of the board of education but also some complications to share. “I feel like every little piece of good news may have a little bit[Read More…]
H-F graduate Folashade Olumola is selected as a Fulbright English teaching assistant
Folashade Olumola, a 2018 graduate of Homewood-Flossmoor High School, has been selected for a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award. Folashade Olumola Olumola, a recent graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who majored in political science, will be teaching university students in Turkey beginning in mid-September. The award is[Read More…]
Property tax revenue boosts SD161’s prospects for balanced budget
Fran LaBella, associate superintendent of business operations at Flossmoor School District 161, offered a favorable preview of next year’s proposed budget during the board meeting on May 31. The district’s tentative budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year is $33.9 million. During a detailed presentation, LaBella said the budget is expected[Read More…]
Conservation interns learn ‘STEMpathy’ and the network of oak woodland species
Visitors to the Homewood Farmers Market on Saturday, June 4, had the chance to learn about the interconnected system of species that make up oak woodlands from the Homewood Science Center’s spring conservation interns. Lezlie Higgins of Homewood paused from her work putting the finishing touches on a poster to explain[Read More…]
H-F speech teacher Janine Stroemer helped students find their voice
Homewood-Flossmoor High School teacher Janine Stroemer helped hundreds of students find their voice. Stroemer, who retired after 19 years at H-F, organized speech teams around the slogan “Stand and Deliver.” Under her tutelage, H-F had six individual champions, 29 state finalists and 297 students who competed at IHSA speech tournaments.[Read More…]
H-F class of 2022 urged to ‘do something’ in response to society’s challenges
The Homewood-Flossmoor High School class of 2022 was showered with congratulations and several episodes of thunderous applause during the graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 29, but they also received some straight talk from student government leaders and from District 233 Board of Education President Gerald Pauling. First, Pauling applauded the[Read More…]