Archive for category: District Announcements

Substitute teachers are an important part of maintaining continuity in education and ensuring that students receive instruction and proper care even when our regular staff may be absent. To show their value, District #7 has increased the pay rate for substitute teachers to $125/day.

Among the many benefits this position offers include:  

District #7 voters gave their support to the district’s bond proposal on the April 4 election ballot. The bond proposal is a $100 million zero-tax-rate-increase bond issue, which will fund projects at every school in D7, including addressing identified facility needs, essential safety and security upgrades and other identified critical maintenance needs and provide an improved learning environment for D7 students. Approval of the bond issue will not increase the district’s bond and interest property tax levy. 

“We thank the District #7 community for getting out to vote,” said Superintendent Dr. Patrick Shelton. “We are proud to be in a community that has strong pride in its schools. Improving our school buildings now will benefit many future generations of students and homeowners, while helping to protect the financial future of our district.” 

In the coming weeks, D7 will begin planning for and scheduling projects in the bond issue.   

“It’s important to note that due to the size of this bond issue, it will likely take five or six years to complete all items on the project lists,” said Shelton. “Top priority projects will be completed first and then, secondary projects will begin. The proposed bond issue addresses identified needs for the district, however, the list could possibly be modified due to changing financial conditions. With today’s economy, the district will be diligent to protect the taxpayer’s investment while completing the identified projects in the bond issue proposal.” 

Unofficial results from the election showed 64.52% voting in favor of the proposal. A 50% majority was required for the measure to pass.

For more information on the D7 bond proposal, go to www.ecusd7.org/bond.  

Hello District #7 and Happy Friday! As of 3:35 p.m. today our students and teachers will be on a well-deserved break. Spring break begins today and school will be back in session on Tuesday, April 11.   

I wanted to take a few moments to update you on our recent Board meeting. Mr. Michael Hubbard, the Director of Security in District #7, presented the current and ongoing work of maintaining safe schools throughout District #7. Safety and Security are never far from our mind, but that holds especially true as we witness the recent events in Nashville, TN. We continue to be in thought and prayer for those families impacted by this horrible event.  

As a school district, we must remain vigilant in identifying and responding to threats which occur. Over the past several months, Mr. Hubbard has increased the training and consistency of our School Safety Officers and their presence in schools, updated our district-wide crisis manual, and connected our district-wide safety and security team. We also continue to investigate any threats of violence which are brought to our attention. District #7 is also installing vape detectors over Spring Break in an effort to alleviate the vaping epidemic which continues to impact our students.  

I also provided the Board of Education and those present with an update on our no-tax-rate-increase bond proposal that is on the ballot next Tuesday. Earlier this year, safety and security was identified as the number one priority for our schools and the bond proposal includes installing double-entry door systems in each District #7 school. We are also excited about the potential upgrades to our facilities with a renovation and addition to Lincoln Middle School, repairs and renovations at Hamel Elementary, Midway Elementary, Columbus Elementary and Edwardsville High School, along with new accessible and safe playgrounds at all District #7 Elementary Schools.  With Election Day occurring over spring break, we have also been intentionally reminding those in the District #7 community who are travelling to vote early. Please visit ecusd7.org/bond for more information on the bond proposal. 

We continue to plan for a busy summer in District #7. Summer school for this year will be held at Goshen Elementary School and Liberty Middle School, as Edwardsville High School will be closed for the vast majority of the summer for construction and fire alarm work.  

Finally, Parents/guardians of students new to District #7 for the 2023-24 school year can now pre-register on our website at ecusd7.org. This includes incoming kindergarteners, students moving into the district or students transferring from a private school. Registration for students currently enrolled in District #7 is anticipated to open on or around May 1, 2023. We will be sure to communicate as we get closer to May.  

Spring in District #7 is always a busy one and following spring break, I hope you take advantage of the opportunity to take in one of our spring sports and activities such as our spring concerts, as all of our students continue to make District #7 proud.   

Have a wonderful Spring Break and we look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, April 11!  

Patrick Shelton, Ed.D.
Superintendent

by Mary Ann Mitchell, public relations and communications coordinator

District #7 special education coordinator Cindy Steele has always had a passion for children, their well-being and happiness.  

She has been with the district for 29 years, joining the D7 family as a school psychologist before moving into her current role in 2006.  

“I have been fortunate in my role. It has allowed me to work as part of a team, which is critical in problem-solving and student needs. I get to look at different issues through the lenses of parents, teachers, administrators, and the child.” 

Steele has always had an interest in mental health and while working in a psychiatric hospital for children, knew she wanted to concentrate on school psychology. 

“Working on the different units in the hospital setting, one of the common themes of all the children was their educational experience and how they struggled in school because of the needs they had. I knew I wanted to do psychology in an education setting. It is such an important part of student’s life.” 

Throughout her career, she has been able to work towards the well-being and happiness of students in a variety of ways.  

“I have a bunch of passions within that overarching passion for kids and that includes social-emotional health. The impact I hope to leave is helping to develop programs for kids and systems of support that allows them to recognize their strengths and celebrate what they are good at and their impact on the world, while also giving them the skills and tools to navigate all the challenges.” 

Another passion of Steel’s is reading and helping kids unlock the code and developing programs for students with developmental disabilities, specific learning abilities and medically fragile children. 

Steele said she has been fortunate to work with many different teams across all school buildings as well individuals throughout the community.  

“I’ve had the privilege of partnering with SIUE and their school psychology department when we built a program for students with autism spectrum disorder and are now working with SIUE to develop multi-tiered systems of support.” 

She has also been able to work with law enforcement partners, school resource officers, nurses, and even bus drivers and transportation team members.  

“Edwardsville and this community have a lot of compassionate people who are dedicated to what they are doing. I love my job and it can be challenging at times, but I have always felt very supported because of the people alongside me that share the same passion for kids.” 

Steele said the most rewarding part of her job is seeing a program developed that has a significant impact on a student.  

“I want every child to feel successful here, which is part of our mission statement. Seeing their successes and making sure they also see those successes is so rewarding.”