GALATIA -- Galatia school district may be building a new school.

Architect Mike Baysinger told the board during Monday's special meeting the state appears to be intending to partially fund new school construction.

SOUTHEASTERN ILLINOIS COLLEGE — High school dual-credit diesel technology students at Southeastern Illinois College have begun work on restoring a 1963 Chevrolet Corvair that will be used in the SIC theater department’s upcoming production of “Grease.”

HARRISBURG -- Off-duty Harrisburg Police officers and Saline County Sheriff's deputies will be familiar faces in Harrisburg High School this year.

Police Chief Bob Smith said the school has requested an officer to patrol the hallways, possibly until the end of the year, in order to quell a rise in mischief.

HARRISBURG--Members of the Harrisburg High School newspaper staff had a good weekend at the recent Southern Illinois School Press Association conference and competition.

Senior Keturah Tanner took first in editorial writing and freshman Halona Brooks took first in editorial cartooning.

SALINE COUNTY--Two county schools made the 2009 State Board of Education Honor Roll of outstanding schools.

Eldorado Middle School was chosen as a Spotlight School and Carrier Mills-Stonefort High School was chosen for an Academic Improvement Award.

GALATIA -- Galatia school board wasted little time in hiring a superintendent for next year.

In January the board accepted the retirement of Kirk Abernathy and Thursday board members voted to hire grade school Principal Beth Rister. Rister will retain her position as principal and will operate as superintendent from the office in the grade school.

HARRISBURG--Journalism students at Harrisburg High School are celebrating Scholastic Journalism Week raising awareness about the First Amendment to the Constitution.

HARRISBURG--The Harrisburg High School speech team capped another successful season with a solid sectional tournament and a good showing at the state tournament in Peoria.
 

CARRIER MILLS -- Carrier Mills-Stonefort school board is considering transitioning fifth-graders into a middle school format to benefit both curriculum and finances.

ELDORADO -- Supertintendent Gary Siebert has been warning the school board for a few months there would likely be a need for staff cuts in advance of troubling predictions for state funding next year. The board voted unanimously for each of his recommended cuts Thursday.

HARRISBURG--With cuts under consideration, the Harrisburg School Board heard appeals from several teachers and advocates Tuesday night to keep programs.

HARRISBURG--The Harrisburg School Board will have a full agenda at the regular meeting 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 16.

HARRISBURG -- Harrisburg school board decided against an earlier discussed 25-percent across-the-board cut for assistant coaches during Wednesday night's special meeting.

HARRISBURG -- Morgan Lane of Eldorado won the Saline County Spelling Bee Monday at Harrisburg Middle School with the word "competitive."

GALATIA -- Galatia school board Thursday accepted the retirement of Superintendent Kirk Abernathy effective June 30.

MARION -- Based on numbers reported by on a petition drive leader trying to force a public vote on funding to build a new Creal Springs school, the matter will go to the voters in November.

Attorney Ron Osman, who spearheaded the effort, said at least 1,800 signatures were in the hands of Unit 2 administration Wednesday afternoon. Attorney Tom Wolf also helped the drive.

"It was more difficult, but it was well worth democracy through the right to vote," he said. "It's about whether people have a right to vote as allowed by law."

SIC - SIC board members, faced with the same state funding problems as local governments and primary and secondary schools, started taking steps at their meeting on Tuesday to control the problem.

ELDORADO -- Eldorado Superintendent Gary Siebert said during Thursday's school board meeting there is a rumor circulating the state may cut the per pupil amount of state aid from $6,200 to $5,600.

"If they drop the per pupil to $5,500 from $6,200, well, probably we will have enough money to have school and that's about it, unless there are drastic cuts," Siebert said.

Like primary and secondary schools around the region, Southeastern Illinois College is finding itself in a state-inflicted budget crisis with no immediate solution and no relief in sight.

With an increasingly gloomy financial picture hanging over their heads, Harrisburg School Board members put together a list of possible budget cuts in case the state's financial picture does not improve.

"This is what we've been pointing toward for two months," Superintendent Dennis Smith said.