The Commercial-News, Danville, IL

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January 12, 2009

District 118 to vote on new leader

Denman is school board’s choice

BY ANNA HERKAMP

DANVILLE — The Danville District 118 School Board is expected to vote on its new superintendent choice at its meeting Wednesday.

The board’s regular meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. The board will meet at 5:45 p.m. in a closed session to discuss the superintendent’s contract and another human resources issue.

In December, the board released a statement that Associate Superintendent Mark Denman was its choice. The board unanimously voted in favor of Denman, who was one of three finalists. The other two were from other districts in Illinois.

Superintendent Nanette Mellen retires this year. Denman’s first day would be July 1.

The community had an opportunity to offer its opinion on the new appointment at a meeting in mid-December. Community members submitted questions to a panel of citizens who asked each candidate how he or she would handle various issues.

This month, community members again had the chance to share input on the future of the district — specifically for the district’s three most worn buildings, North Ridge and South View middle schools and East Park Elementary School.

Denman said the district’s facilities review committee will take the community’s input into consideration.

The group begins meeting tonight.

Denman has received phone calls from some area residents who thought the district made a decision about whether to replace or renovate the three buildings, as well as whether to accept the old Walgreens Accounting building on Bowman Avenue as a gift.

After renovations, the Walgreens building would be used during other renovations, and possibly as a school building in the future.

No decisions about any buildings have been made, he said.

The committee will meet for the last time March 4 and it should have a recommendation to Mellen within that month.

In other business, the board will hear reports about ongoing programs in several schools.

One is Project Lead the Way, a pre-engineering curriculum for high school students. A similar program, Gateway to Technology, is available at both middle schools.

President and CEO of Vermilion Advantage Vicki Haugen said the program could be expanded next year.

Her organization recently received a grant from Alcoa that will allow the program to be implemented at two more middle schools — one in the northern part of the county and one in the southern pat of the county — next year.

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