School districts are in the middle of their summer break. But the head of the Macomb district said there’s plenty to keep him busy.
Superintendent Patrick Twomey said he is focusing on two large issues this summer. One is creation of a career and technical education program, something he would like to see happen sooner rather than later.
“I’m not one that’s very accepting of long-term projects that need to happen now. And so I will work as hard as I can to expedite this as quickly as possible,” Twomey said.
He said he needs to identify potential partners, funding sources, and the size of the program.
Twomey has not decided where it will be housed.
He said the district considered the old Macomb High School building on South Johnson Street. Spoon River College has used the building for decades but is about to move its Macomb campus into a newly renovated building on East Jackson Street.
Twomey said it would be “incredibly expensive” to renovate the building for a CTE program.
“At the end of the day, regardless of how much work is done to that building, you’re still going to have a building well over 100 years old. And buildings that are well over 100 years old come with 100-year-old issues,” he said.
Twomey anticipates the district will instead build a new facility somewhere on the current high school campus.
Twomey said the other issue he’s focusing on this summer is the escalating cost of special education.
He said if a student is not successful in the school district’s program, the law requires they be sent to a private day school that specializes in special education services.
“Those institutions are charging, in my mind, outlandish tuition fees. But they know that you have no other options,” he said.
He said such students in the Macomb district get sent to a private day school in Quincy.
Tri States Public Radio produced this story. TSPR relies on financial support from our readers and listeners in order to provide coverage of the issues that matter to west central Illinois, southeast Iowa, and northeast Missouri. As someone who values the content created by TSPR's news department, please consider making a financial contribution.
