Archive for category Rock Island-Milan School District
Davenport schools change calendar
Posted by Sheena Dooley in Davenport Community School District, Rock Island-Milan School District, Uncategorized on May 26th, 2009
For the first time ever, students in the Davenport School District will finish first semester classes before Christmas break under the newly-approved 2009-10 traditional calendar.
This year students took an almost two-week winter break and returned with 10 days left in the first semester. High school educators and students have said they barely have a chance to get back into the swing of things and they have to take finals, which makes the exams more difficult.
More than 65 percent of parents recently polled said they supported the change. The district was able to move up the semester end date by having slightly fewer attendance days in the first two quarters, while the second two will have additional days.
District officials made the change without having to start school much earlier in August, which was a topic of debate more than two years ago.
Rock Island district eyes new property
Posted by Sheena Dooley in Rock Island-Milan School District on May 22nd, 2009
Rock Island district leaders want to buy an almost 2-acre property that neighbors Rock Island High School. The purchase, if approved by the school board Tuesday, would cost the district $150,000 and allow better access to the back of the school.
District officials plan to use some of its $29 million in reserves to pay for the property, according to Mike Oberhaus, associate superintendent for operations and quality.
That comes at a time when the district has been reluctant to dip into its savings, especially as the economy has plunged and some state payments have fallen behind. Recently, the district scaled back building plans at Thomas Jefferson and Ridgewood elementary schools and Rock Island High School to avoid spending $5.2 million of its reserves.
Oberhaus said the district wanted to snatch up the needed land while it was available.
The 85,732-square-foot residential property is located at 1354 23rd Avenue, Rock Island and would expand the high school to the northwest. It was valued at $136,743 in 2008 when it was last assessed, according to the Rock Island County Assessor’s Office.