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Author Carolyn Meyer has written 60 books, and is known for her works in historical fiction.But being a successful writer is only the tip of the iceberg.Meyer is also a successful comedian, solo performer, and storyteller who has had shows throughout the country including Utah and New York.
Photo: Saga Communications At District 186 headquarters, Monday night belonged to Judy Johnson. The twenty-year veteran school board member accepted plaudits, accolades, and the ACLU Civil Libertarian award (pictured, with ACLU Illinois Springfield president Ken Page). Johnson has been known for her devotion to students, faculty, and staff – as well as for her outspokenness. And IHSA officials will not be spared her opinions, as the board and superintendent Jennifer Gill gave her a lifetime sports pass. Exiting with Johnson is Tiffany Mathis, who lost a bid for a full-term. The new board m...
1 month ago in Local Photo: Saga Communications More of the teacher-and-student-in-the-classroom this spring would be a good trial run for what educators hope would be much closer to normal in the fall. That’s what Springfield school board president Tony Mares thinks. “With the opportunity with the new guidelines that have just come out, in partnership with our SEA members and all of our collective bargaining units, i think this is going to give us a good sample size on how to be able to return to learn in August.” Board member Mike Zimmers has a differi...
Contentious is a word that could describe Springfield Public Schools board meetings in recent months, as members continually debate policy and decisions related to COVID-19. Two weeks ago – on Feb. 2 – at his last meeting, former board president Scott McFarland told the board it needed "a lot of work on board governance." That was after member Micah Miller questioned the superintendent on transparency over COVID-19 data, and referred to an internal email that referenced a sleepover with high school students where people apparently caught the virus. McFarland scolded Miller. "All you're ...