Section 2001(i)(1) of the ARP Act requires that each Local Education Agency (LEA) that receives ARP ESSER funds develops and makes publicly available on its website a "Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan". Section 2001(i)(2) requires that the LEA seek public input on the plan and take those comments into consideration in the development of the plan.

In compliance with these federal requirements, Bushnell-Prairie City remains committed to ensuring the safety of all staff and students and has continued to adapt, as necessary, to changing circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The District initially developed a Return-to-Learn Plan in July of 2021 with revisions, based upon public comment, developed and adopted in February of 2022. The following strategies within our most recent "Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan" will be implemented to continue the District's efforts to maintain a safe and health learning environment for its staff and students. This plan will be reviewed no less than every 6 months and modified as needed based upon current conditions and feedback received from the school community. To provide comments regarding the District's current, "Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan", please access the following email.

Safe Return to In-Person Instruction and Continuity of Services Plan

The District will monitor and implement safety recommendations issued by the Center for Disease Control local health agencies in McDonough, Warren, and Fulton Counties, the State of Illinois, and the Illinois State Board of Education for:

• the wearing of masks;
• use of physical distancing in the classroom and on school district transportation;
• handwashing and respiratory etiquette;
• cleaning and maintaining health facilities, including ventilation;
• contact tracing and community vaccination efforts; 
• providing accommodations for children with respect to health and safety policies; 
• ensuring continuity of services for students' academic needs;
• continuity of services to support students' and staff social, emotional, and mental health; and,
• any other identified needs (not limited to student health and food services).

Strategies:

• Masks (as needed or required) will be made available to all staff and students.
• Modify classroom and common areas, as needed, to provide additional physical distancing of students.
• Encourage frequent handwashing and safe respiratory etiquette (i.e. covered coughing) in classrooms.
• Disinfect and clean all classroom and instructional areas and surfaces regularly.
• Upgrade physical plant to improve ventilation and facilitate clean surfaces.
• Continue cooperation with the McDonough County Health Department during contact tracing and to support access to vaccinations to the school community.
• Provide individualized consideration to staff and students with disabilities to ensure optimal health and safety.
• Utilize digital tools and schedules to address continuity of students' academic needs, including, but not limited to, remote learning, summer tutoring, and academic support during times of prolonged absence.
• Provide access to social work services for students to address their social, emotional, and mental health needs and continue strategies that support the same for staff (incentives, additional staffing support, adapted working conditions, etc.).
• Monitor students' access to food services and provide assistance during times of food insecurity (meals sent home and/or delivered).

A public hearing will be held on Wednesday, June 22, 5:50 pm at the meeting of the Bushnell-Prairie City Board of Education. The purpose of this hearing will be to accept public comment on the District's intent to submit a waiver to the Illinois State Board of Education allowing for tuition-free attendance of licensed employees, upon request.

The Board of Education, at their regular meeting in May 2022, unanimously approved a resolution to transfer $2,362,953 from the Working Cash Fund to the Operations and Maintenance Fund. School districts are prohibited from paying expenses from the Working Cash Fund. These funds were generated through the sale of bonds and will be used to complete renovations at Bushnell-Prairie City High School. 

At their regular meeting for the month of March, the Bushnell-Prairie City Board of Education approved the school calendar for 2022-2023. Please click HERE to view the calendar.

Following the District's move to mask optional, based upon current local metrics, the Bushnell-Prairie City Board of Education reviewed the District's Learning Plan, first developed in July of 2021. This plan prioritizes the health and safety of staff and students while also improving the overall learning environment in consideration of current and local metrics. This plan may be revised as necessary and/or as the need for mitigations decrease. The current 2021-2022 Learning Plan can be found HERE.

You may have seen on our B-PC Facebook page that the Spartan Store is now in all B-PC Schools! Designed to support kids in need, each store contains age-appropriate items (clothing, personal hygiene, etc.). Click HERE to learn more and find out how you can help us help kids. 

In December, the Bushnell-Prairie City Board of Education passed a resolution to increase the working cash fund  through the sale of bonds for $3.6M dollars to make improvements at Bushnell-Prairie City High School. These funds, in addition to more than $500,000 of ESSER III grant funds, will support updated bathrooms; locker rooms; new flooring in all hallways and classrooms; new classroom doors to improve security; new lighting in all classrooms and hallways; window replacement; cafeteria improvements; roof replacement over the library; new seating, lighting, and sound systems in the auditorium; installation of an indoor track surface in the gymnasium; and resurfacing of the all-weather outdoor track. These improvements will be done in two phases, with Phase I to begin this summer and focus upon instructional spaces, and Phase II planned for the summer of 2023 with a focus on arts and athletic spaces. The sale of these bonds is a continuation of the improvements undertaken at Bushnell-Prairie City Elementary and Bushnell-Prairie City Junior High. A hearing will be held in January with the bond sales occurring later in the month. Funds should be received in February and the bidding process can begin.

What does this mean for the financial health of the District?
There will be 2 types of bond issuances to generate these funds: 1) self-purchased Working Cash bonds, and 2) debt certificates. The self-purchased Working Cash bonds will be borrowed against the balance in the Education Fund and repaid using County Facilities Sales Tax (1% sales tax) revenues. This will yield an additional $300,000 in revenue to the Education Fund from interest paid; the fund that incurs the greatest amount of expense to operate the District. The debt certificates will be repaid through the debt levy. 

Will this increase the the District's tax rate?
The bond and interest tax rate for the District since 2015 has ranged from .25 to .32. Repayment of the debt certificates will yield a bond and interest tax rate ranging from .27 to .32; not higher than past rates. This range could also decrease should the District's equalized assessed value (property values) continue to be healthy.

As shared with our school community via Skylert in the last week, the Center for Disease Control and the Illinois Department of Health (IDPH) have issued revised guidance relative to COVID-related exclusions. Please click HERE for the health alert issued by the IDPH or click HERE for a simple-to-read summary. Please don't hesitate to contact your school office and/or District Nurse, Kristi White, at whitek@bpcschools.org if you need assistance or have questions.

Every year our Scholastic Book Fairs show our students how much we value reading and how fun it can be. It also helps raise money for our libraries.

This fall's book fairs are November 8th - the 12th, at the Junior High and the Elementary Schools.

Find out more here.

As discussed at several Board of Education meetings, Bushnell-Prairie City School District has finalized a testing support agreement with The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois to conduct COVID-19 testing for staff and students. This testing, commonly referred to as "SHIELD testing" will be conducted weekly in all school buildings and is anticipated to begin in mid-October. Provided free of charge by the University of Illinois, this testing protocol will not only assist the District in maintaining healthy schools, but will also provide an opportunity for anyone identified as a close contact to limit possible exclusion through a "test-to-stay" process. To learn more about this saliva-based (spit) test and/or to refuse consent for your child to be tested, click on this LINK.