Macomb School District

Cost Containment Plan for Macomb Schools

Rich Egger — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 00:41:31 +0000

The workforce will be a bit smaller in the Macomb School District next fall as a result of budget cuts.

The equivalent of three full-time positions will be eliminated as part of what the district is calling a “cost containment” plan, which the Board of Education approved during its March meeting.

Superintendent Alene Resuchel said the district will also dip into its reserves to balance its budget, but she said it is not sustainable in the long-term to rely solely on reserves.

Twomey Hired to Lead Macomb Schools

Rich Egger — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 03:11:07 +0000

The new Macomb School District 185 superintendent won’t wait long to begin work.

Dr Patrick Twomey will start in Macomb on May 1 as assistant superintendent before becoming superintendent on July 1. Twomey said this will allow him to work with retiring Superintendent Dr Alene Reuschel.

“This will give us an opportunity professionally to spend a little bit of time together during that transition time to make it as smooth as possible, which will do nothing but benefit the kids of the district,” said Twomey.

Macomb School Supt Search Update

Rich Egger — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 03:18:14 +0000

The Macomb School District superintendent search appears to be approaching the finish line but it’s not quite completed.

Board of Education member Jude Kiah said there are a few items to work out still beyond just the contract.

“We would like it to be that. But there may be additional things that need to be taken care of outside of fiscal or monetary issues,” Kiah said.

Kiah declined to reveal what those other issues are.

The Macomb School Superintendent Finalists

Rich Egger — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 01:31:04 +0000

The three finalists to be Macomb’s next school superintendent have all been to town for interviews with the Board of Education, staff, and the community. Now it’s up to the board to decide who will be the district’s next leader.

Forums Set for Macomb Superintendent Finalists

Rich Egger — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 19:48:58 +0000

The three remaining candidates for Macomb School District 185 superintendent will return to town before the end of the month for second round interviews.

Each will also participate in a public forum. Each of those forums will begin at 5:30 pm at the Spoon River College Community Outreach Center, 2500 East Jackson St in Macomb.

The schedule is:

Thursday, January 24 – Dr Chet Lien

Monday, January 28 – Dr Patrick Twomey

Wednesday, January 30 – Dr Chad Allaman

Each forum is scheduled to conclude at 6:45 pm.

Macomb School Superintendent Finalists Named

Rich Egger — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 17:28:22 +0000

The finalists for Macomb School District superintendent are all currently superintendents in Illinois:

Dr Chad Allaman is with Central Elementary School District 51 in Washington
Dr Chet Lien is Rockridge Community Unit School District 300 in Taylor Ridge
Dr Patrick Twomey is with Havana Community Unit School District 126 in Havana

Twomey once worked for the Macomb district. He was high school principal before leaving for Havana in 2007.

Survey in Macomb Superintendent Search

Rich Egger — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 00:58:38 +0000

The Macomb Board of Education is conducting an on-line survey to gather community input on the desired qualities for the next superintendent.

Board President Robert Shouse said hard copies of the survey are also available. They can be obtained at all of the district's buildings.

Appeal Alleges Disparities in Sports

James Lenz — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 19:51:27 +0000

Jill Brody filed a formal complaint with the Macomb School District in late March under federal Title IX law. Superintendent Alene Reuschel responded that the district is in compliance. Title IX law requires “equivalent” treatment of male and female athletes.

Brody appealed Reuschel's finding in May.

Reuschel says, “She can ask the board to review that decision. And there's a time frame and so once the board has reviewed, and within that time frame, the board will eventually direct me to respond to Dr. Brody their decision.”

Macomb Begins Search for New Superintendent

James Lenz — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 19:10:59 +0000

School board President Dan Colvin says it received a “great gift” of time when Superintendent Alene Reuschel announced she would retire next year.

Colvin says the task of filling the position is one of the most important duties for board members. He says it will hire a search firm to perform many tasks that would be time-consuming or difficult for the board such as criminal background checks and reference checks.

Macomb School Superintendent to Retire

James Lenz — Tue, 22 May 2012 17:40:22 +0000

The Macomb School District will soon begin the search for a new superintendent. Dr. Alene Reuschel will retire next year.

She seriously considered retirement this year after the governor proposed cutting pension benefits for educators. However, she decided she had too much work left to do.

She said, “We're right at the brink of doing some really fantastic things here, not only in Macomb, but just in education we're just at the very cusp of what we're going to see.”