December 17, 2023
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One meeting a month for Sycamore school board in 2024

By Camden Lazenby
Sycamore Community School District 427 Superintendent Steve Wilder talks about changes to the Board of Education meeting schedule on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023.

Sycamore Community School District 427 Superintendent Steve Wilder talks about changes to the Board of Education meeting schedule on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. (Camden Lazenby)

SYCAMORE – The Sycamore Community School District 427 board will move to a one-meeting-a-month format starting in January.

The meetings will be held on the fourth Tuesday of every month inside Sycamore Middle School, under the schedule approved Tuesday night. The only exception for the remainder of the school year is March. That meeting will be held March 12 because of spring break.

Sycamore Superintendent Steve Wilder said he and Board Secretary Kellie Vinz will work to distribute the agenda to board members a full week ahead of the monthly meetings. That’s being done to help give the elected officials time to read the ancillary documents and come prepared to the public meeting, although Wilder acknowledged the new system may not be perfect when it’s rolled out in January.

“For the most part, I think we can make that transition pretty smooth,” he said.

Meetings have been held twice a month in recent years, switching between Sycamore Middle School and a rotation of the district’s other facilities. Board member Eric Jones questioned whether the board should only use the middle school for meetings.

“I’ve just noticed that when we do have our onsite meetings at the elementaries, whether through coercion or just excitement, there’s usually a half dozen to a dozen staff from those buildings sticking around for that meeting,” Jones said. “I’d hate to rob them of that opportunity or make it less convenient for them if that’s something they were looking forward to. But if they just want an excuse to not go, well, then here’s one.”

No one not employed by the Sycamore Community School District attended Tuesday night’s meeting, and board member Michael DeVito said he hopes that changes with the new schedule.

“I hope that we can fill the seats in this room, and I hope we can get the community involved,” DeVito said. “People’s schedules are so busy, so having that advanced notice, people can have the information sooner, and now they really can make this a destination point.”