By Patrick Baron
BLOOMINGTON – District 87 saw a shift in positions as the school board elected a new president during its latest meeting on Wednesday.
James Almeda will now serve as the board’s president, replacing Mary Yount. Almeda said he’s excited to engage with the parents and students of the district at upcoming events.
“I enjoy the pieces outside the meetings where you actually get to interact with people,” Almeda explained. “A lot of times I think when you’re president they want to come to you with questions, and so I’m looking forward to having some of those conversations.”
Almeda, who works as a Health Promotion and Wellness Coordinator at Illinois State University, has been serving on the District 87 school board since 2015. Brigette Beasley was elected to serve as the board’s vice president.
The district also amended its 2018 budget to provide a safety net. The board approved adding a total of $750,000 in spending authority for education, operations and management, transportation, and retirements.
Superintendent Barry Reilly doesn’t believe the district will need those funds, viewing it as more of a precautionary measure.
“We don’t anticipate that we will have to get much [of those funds], if any, but it does provide us that cushions should we need to be able to do that,” Reilly explained.
A freshman from Bloomington High School also approached the board during the meeting’s public comment section, calling for more transparency concerning the firing of former BHS physics teacher Marc Tiritilli.
Patrick Baron can be reached at [email protected].
