Amy Hopper, KJHS Cheerleading Coach, was selected as the Illinois Cheerleading Coaches Association Coach of the Year for 2026.
Jen Bowker, KJHS 7th Grade Girls Basketball Coach, was nominated as a Coach of the Year for our area through the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.
Brad Hambsch, KJHS 8th Grade Girls and 8th Grade Boys Basketball Coach, was selected to coach a team at the All-State Classic JH Boys Basketball showcase, an invite-only event for 8th grade basketball players from all around the state of Illinois.
Congratulations to all three, keep up the great work, and best of luck next year!!
Just a friendly reminder that Spring Break will take place from March 30th - April 3rd. There will be no school during this time, and we look forward to welcoming students and staff back on Monday, April 6th.
Have a safe and relaxing break!
The 21st CCLC after school program offered by the Regional Office of Education has been CANCELLED for Wednesday March 25th. Any KJHS students planning to attend will need to make other arrangements. Thank you!
Message from the Superintendent - Part 2
Knowing that Mable Woolsey Elementary school was in need of a full replacement, the board and administration set out to make a decision on just how to do that. In the spring of 2025, the board signed on with BLDD Architects to perform a feasibility study of the district grounds and offer suggestions for how to replace our landmark elementary school. In September of 2025, BLDD presented the board with 4 scenarios for replacement. BLDD took into consideration not only the condition and needs of Mable Woolsey, but also the condition of our other attendance centers, enrollment trends, educational trends, district expenses, and most importantly, the need for our kids to be in school while construction took place. Formulating one finite solution based on all those criteria proved to be a challenging task.
Since building new schools is typically a once in a generation project, the longevity of the existing Knoxville Junior High Building, constructed in 1979 had to be taken into consideration too. Given the prospect that in the future that building would need some financial investment, it made sense to consider the possibility of a PK-8 facility on either the site of Mable Woolsey or at the site of KJHS. Given all considerations, the board and administration deemed an addition onto KJHS to create a PK-8 complex addressing the most needs while best managing the overall costs of the project.
During the fall of 2025, a more detailed vision for the replacement was developed. Architects met with the board members individually, all teachers and staff members, and used the data and information gathered to present a general plan for the building project, with estimated costs attached to it. In December, the board negotiated and reached agreement with BLDD to be the construction project managers for the district. Until December, BLDD had simply provided the district with options to solve their Health Life Safety issues. Since that time, BLDD has continued to meet with the involved staff members and provide more and more detail in our plans each month.
Also during the spring of 2025, the board approved a relationship with Stifel Financial to lead the district in seeking ways to finance the impending construction. Stifel provided regular updates to the board on methods of obtaining funding for the project and worked with the estimates provided by BLDD to determine possible courses of action. Given that the new construction is a product of the District Health Life Safety Survey, the district is able to bond (borrow) an amount determined by the state as “replacement” cost. That number in this case was $16.4M.
Since a renovation of KJHS will be part of this project, the Health Life Safety Amendment funds allotted for it may also be borrowed and put toward the project. Finally, the district posted an intent to issue Working Cash Bonds in December to provide for any necessary funding beyond what the Health Life Safety funds will cover. All totaled, the project is estimated to fall in the $26M range at completion. As of this writing, the $16.4M has been procured and invested to help offset the bottom line cost of the project.
Next week, we’ll discuss the next steps in design, planning, and financing and finally lay the groundwork for a timeline for completion.
The Knoxville Community Unit School District will soon embark on a new era. In August of 2023, the district architect at the time performed what is called a “Ten Year Health and Life Safety Survey”. These surveys, as the name indicates, are state mandated every ten years to ensure that public schools maintain healthy and safe environments for students. These inspections cover every inch of the buildings and often bring to light issues that teachers and administrators don’t know or think about. Buildings can be “grandfathered” to code changes based on their age and purpose. It is important for districts to maintain and keep their buildings in great shape - there is seldom, if ever, a greater one time investment for a school district than its physical buildings.
Mable Woolsey Elementary School was built in 1962 to serve the community of Knoxville. At the time, the district also was home to the Gilson Elementary, Delong Elementary, Appleton Elementary, and at some point Raymond Marquith Elementary schools. All of those buildings are long since off the district’s roll. Realize too that Mable Woolsey was built at a time when 2 electrical outlets and air conditioning in a room were “extras”. There was no internet to communicate with parents, staff, and the world. There were only a handful of special education spaces needed, We had no full time nurse, counselors, or interventionists. The building went through several updates and transformations with the original kindergarten addition taking place at the end of its first decade, the West end kindergarten/media center addition in 2001, and the addition of the East end 4th grade wing in 2009. As great and functional as those additions were at the time, they too have reached peak potential in many ways.
Upon completion of the inspection, a 10 year survey amendment was filed with the Illinois State Board of Education. That amendment lists all of the work items/violations of code and attaches an estimated cost. Upon the filing in August of 2023, Mable Woolsey Elementary needed a facelift to the tune of $14,000,000. Items on the list are ranked into 3 categories based on how urgent they need to be completed. Many of the items were obligated to be completed within 5 years. So, if no items were to be addressed at all, the district would be expected to close the building at the beginning of the 2029-2030 school year.
Given the amount of major items within that list, the administration and the board at the time realized that putting that kind of money into an already aging building wouldn’t avoid another huge price tag after the next 10 years were up. So, the district responsibles sought to find a way to replace our outdated and suffering elementary fixture. She served us well, but her time to retire is soon upon us. Over the last year, the board has met with architects, construction managers, financiers, teachers and staff to determine what the best course of action might be for the future of Knoxville Elementary students.
In short, the Knoxville CUSD 202 is going to build a new school building and demolish the Mable Woolsey Elementary School. Over the next few weeks, we’ll share with you the steps and processes that the administration and board have gone through to begin to make this concept of replacement a reality. We’ll then show you what decisions have been made and where we stand in the design phase of this project as well as how it will impact the community and the taxpayer. Finally, we’ll lay out the timeline for construction and how the students will be introduced into their new spaces.
Tuesday, March 17th - Spaghetti w/ Marinara Sauce
Wednesday, March 18th - Garlic Cheese French Bread Pizza
