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Thomas Paine Elementary School

Stronger Together. Leading for the Future.

BOE Update: November 10, 2026 - CTE Building and Superintendent Search

Posted Date: 11/11/26 (05:00 PM)
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Urbana School District Board of Education Meeting Update graphic.

Board of Education Update: November 10, 2026

Watch: November 10 BOE Meeting
 

CTE Center Preliminary Design

The Board approved the schematic design for the Urbana High School Career and Technical Education Center. 

The Schematic Design is the first phase of a three phase process. The schematic design looks at things like:
  • How the building will function
  • Where classrooms and offices should be
  • How big the rooms should be 
  • How the building will look and how it will sit on the site

The next phase is Design Development. During Tuesday's meeting, the Board authorized BLDD to move to this phase. This includes:
  • General structural details are finalized
  • Selection of materials, interior finishes, and building systems
  • Detailed site plan, floor plans, elevation and section drawings

The proposal for the CTE Center would include a common area that leads into expanded areas for Agriculture, Industrial Tech, Project Lead the Way (PLTW), Welding and Automotive programs. The space would be designed around program needs and include workshop areas, a computer lab and makerspace area, and agriculture spaces.

As part of this project, the traffic flow would be reconfigured, making Iowa a one-way, and additional parking would be added for staff and students. 

Cost: This project (building and parking) is estimated at $14.142 million dollars. 

Rough Project Timeline:
  • December 2026: Design Development
  • December 2026-February 2027:  Construction documents
  • March 2027: Bidding (If Board approves)
  •  April 2027: Approve bids
  • April 2027: Break ground
  • July 2028: Completion
CTE Presentation
 

College and Career Readiness/ GEAR UP

As part of our Portrait of a Graduate, USD is committed to preparing students for college, careers and lifelong success. This includes teachings students and families that there is a network of support for college and career readiness. 

Resources available to students/families:

GEAR UP Curriculum: A weekly lesson in grades 6-8 that aligns with the Illinois middle school PaCE Framework. This introduces students to various careers, giving them an opportunity to think about their skills and interests before they enter high school.

SchoolLinks: SchoolLinks is a college and career exploration platform that is used by students in grades 6-10. (Grades 11 and 12 use Xello)
  • Virtual college tours
  • We can build data from student surveys to give them more opportunities geared toward what they are interested in
  • Families have access to this platform 

Tutor.com: A resource for all students that is available 24/7 for 1:1 virtual support with a live tutor. This is done through text, geared toward what students need help with. 
  • This resource also has a college and career prep program where you can upload resumes and cover letters and receive feedback from an HR professional or participate in mock interviews. 

First Semester Highlights:
  • Students at UMS and UHS have participated in college and career fairs/programs and additional college visits are planned for the second semester. 
  • Last year, 19 students from the Class of 2026 earned more than $112 thousand in scholarship funds through GEAR Up. 

Looking ahead:
Parkland College Exploration for students in grades 6-12 to expose them to careers in the trades. 

Beginning next school year the plan is for students in grades 6-12 to be on a rotation where they get to explore careers in different ways:

  • Students in 6th and 9th grades will visit the Career Exploration Center at Parkland College where they can explore diverse career paths and participate in hands-on activities
  • Students in 7th and 10th grades will explore careers through Parkland's Mobile Career Exploration. Interactive carts will be brought to the buildings for students to participate in hands-on rotations. The travel units feature interactive activities in the following fields: automotive, welding, health professions and agriculture
  • 8th grade students will explore careers through CareerSpark, which is an interactive career exploration expo where students rotate through interactive booths and act out tasks alongside local professionals to visualize different career paths before entering high school.
GEAR UP Presentation
 

Superintendent Search

The Board discussed the Superintendent Search with the selected search firm, BWP & Associates. 

The search will be conducted in private until the finalists are selected. Once selected, the community will be invited to participate in an advisory group. This group will be selected by BWP. The Board will review all feedback as part of their decision.

The community will have the opportunity to participate in focus groups or a community forum. This allows everyone to give their thoughts and feedback around the development of the Leadership Profile - what the District wants/needs in their next leader. 

Timeline:
  • Immediately: Vacancy announcement posted
  • Week of December 7: Community engagement beings with focus groups and surveys
  • Applications close January 4
  • Week of January 18: BWP screens candidates
  • January 19: Leadership Profile discussed at Board Meeting
  • Week of February 1: BWP presents candidates and prepares Board for first round of interviews
  • Week of February 15: Board conducts first round of interviews and selects 2-3 final candidates
  • Week of February 22: A confidential advisory group will meet the final 2 or 3 candidates and have a Q&A session. The feedback from this group will be given to the Board Members for their consideration
  • March 1-8: Finalize contract
  • March: Approval of new Superintendent contract at Board meeting.
*Please note that all of these dates are subject to change and any changes will be communicated.*
 

2026 Illinois School Report Card

The Illinois School Report Card was released October 30. While the report card did show us areas of growth, there are also several areas to celebrate. 

Highlights
  • Decreases in the achievement gap between our low-income and non-low-income students
  • Growth increases in ELA and Math across all students groups in grades 3-11. This shows that our curriculum investments are making a difference
  • Student participation in CTE Courses and advanced coursework (dual language) continues to grow 
  • Students who come to school consistently are seeing growth in the ELA and Math proficiency 
  • While our graduation rate stayed the same, our graduation rate increased for our Black and Hispanic student groups 
School Report Card Presentation
 

Superintendent Report

Thank you to the veterans in our USD116 community, including our staff, families and alumni. We are grateful for your service, sacrifice and commitment.