Champaign Unit 4 School District: Freshman Family Night Tonight

Press release from the Champaign Unit 4 School District:

01/24/2022

This year, we are excited to bring both Centennial and Central High Schools together for our virtual Future Freshman Night! The transition from 8th grade to high school is an exciting time for our students, and we are so happy to welcome you into our schools next year!

Tonight, you will have an opportunity to learn more about the many opportunities for students and Centennial and Central High Schools, including the diverse array of course offerings, college and career pathways, athletics, and clubs.

Click here for information on breakout sessions where you can choose to learn more about our schools' programs.

Unit 4 Board of Education Statement Regarding Negotiations with CFT

The Board of Education has not commented on contract negotiations but has a responsibility to stakeholders to clarify misinformation that is circulating.

We’ve long heard from parents, teachers, administrators, and others in the community that Unit 4 students have less instructional time, shorter recess and lunch periods, and less time to connect with their friends compared to other districts. Because we want a better educational experience for our students, the Board’s proposal increases elementary students’ day by 50 minutes beginning with the 2023-2024 school year. This allows for additional lunch/recess time, as required by a recent law, and will increase student learning time by 30 minutes.  

Under the Board’s proposal, elementary teachers’ workday will extend by 35 minutes in the 2023-2024 school year, with increased compensation for the additional time. Teachers will receive 5 additional minutes of lunch and 5 additional minutes of planning time. 

The Board understands that adding more time to the student day without giving teachers the tools they need to make it successful is unwise. When developing the District's Strategic Plan, we learned that Unit 4 teachers have less access to high quality professional development time focused on important topics including social-emotional learning and health, instructional strategies, and culturally responsive practices than educators in other districts. Under our proposal, all K-12 teachers will help develop and implement a plan for 60 minutes of high-quality professional development each week. 

There will be many opportunities for input from our stakeholders because the extended school day will not start until the 2023-2024 school year. During the remainder of this school year and next year, a task force of administrators, teachers, support staff, and other stakeholders–including parents and community members–will work to ensure successful development and implementation of the extended day. The plan will include scheduling logistics such as start and end times, transportation, and other related items.   

One important point to clarify is that Unit 4 schools will not be starting for any students at 6:30 a.m., nor will students be on buses at 5:30 a.m. Again, once an agreement with CFT is in place, reasonable schedules will be developed for each campus, with ample stakeholder input. 

We will continue to meet with CFT and work diligently to reach a resolution and hope this information alleviates the concerns that are spreading. 

This press release was produced by the Champaign Unit 4 School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.