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Decatur Public Schools

Story compiled by Reed Sutman.
  • Created
  • Updated

Decatur Public Schools District 61 (DPS61) is governed by a Board of officials elected in odd-numbered years during municipal elections, and led by a Superintendent.

We may add more information at a later time. Below are links you may find useful.

District Information

Staff Information

Union Information

There are 5 unions serving Decatur Public Schools staff. SEIU #73 has three separate contracts. "A" for Custodians, "B" for Maintenance, and "C" for Security.

  • Union Contracts
  • DEA - Decatur Education Association
  • DESPA - Decatur Educational Support Personnel Association
  • DFTA - Decatur Federation of Teaching Assistants Local #4324
  • SEIU - Service Employees International Union Local No. 73
  • Teamsters - International Brotherhood Of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen, And Helpers Of America, Local Union No. 916

Board Information

FOIA Information

The Freedom of Information Act allows the public to learn the internal workings of government.

You simply need to send an email to the FOIA Officer/Board Secretary with the subject 'FOIA Request' then detail the documents, communications, or other records you are seeking.

Community

Big Stories

A (not comprehensive) list of big stories about the District.

  • May 31, 2023

    Dennis Lab Structural Issues

    Dennis & Former French were shut down on May 31st, 2023, after structural issues were found.

    Learn More

Timeline Design created by Overflow & modified by Reed Sutman. Timeline content created by Decatur Vote.

Articles

After an August 23rd, 2023 Bus Incident, I submitted a FOIA request for video footage, communications, reports on the incident, and bus driver information. My request for camera footage was denied, and other records showed that video existed, so I submitted a Request For Review to the Illinois Pu...   See Article

Original Report, 11-30-2023

I received a tip regarding some union negotiation issues with Decatur Public Schools District 61. I submitted a FOIA Request for communications and documents that might substantiate said tip. The FOIA Request was mostly denied, and no meaningful information was uncovered. My request for proposed ...   See Article

Original Report, 11-16-2023

I sent a Freedom of Information Act Request for detailed payment records relating to Decatur Public Schools District 61 2023 Summer Programs. The response letter directed me to Board of Education Meeting Packets from September and October of 2023, where monthly bills are listed. This was a follow...   See Article

Original Report, 11-10-2023

Decatur Public Schools District 61 Board Member Dr. Kevin Collins-Brown emailed Board President Bill Clevenger and Superintendent Dr. Rochelle Clark, accusing Clevenger of bullying and intimidation, on October 24th, 2023. Clevenger has not responded to my November 3rd request for comment. Accordi...   See Article

Original Report, 11-09-2023

I sent a FOIA Request for all emails sent by Decatur Public Schools District 61 Board Members from October 24th, 2023 through October 25th, 2023. Read my coverage on Board Member Dr. Kevin Collins-Brown's email to Board President Bill Clevenger. There were also emails expressing concern that a ne...   See Article

Original Report, 11-09-2023

Decatur Public School District 61's Policy 4:150 states the Board's goal to "Develop and implement a communication plan ..." when "making decisions pertaining to design and construction of school facilities." I requested this communication plan for Lincoln Park, Dennis Lab, th...   See Article

Original Report, 11-02-2023

Garfield Learning Academy 2022-2023 Budget | Decatur IL Schools The Garfield Learning Academy budget for July 1, 2022 - May 23, 2023 shows $5,736.70 in transactions, with an ending budget balance of -1,311.51. This budget was obtained through a FOIA Request. (Note: We previously published this as...   See Article

Original Report, 09-28-2023

There was an August 23rd, 2023 bus incident. There were allegations that the bus hit a parked car. Herald & Review reported this was a "false alarm", and that a car was not hit. I submitted a FOIA request to Decatur Public Schools District 61 Board Secretary Melissa Bradford to inve...   See Article

Original Report, 09-15-2023

Decatur Public Schools District 61 held a Finance Committee Meeting on September 5th, 2023, at 4:00pm at the Keil Building. The last finance meeting was August 1st, 2023. The meeting included discussion of repairs for a Muffley parking lot (~$12,500), CPPRT funds declining, tentative budget to be...   See Article

Summary, 09-06-2023

8,147 students were enrolled in Decatur Public Schools for 2021-2022, according to the Illinois Report Card. This number has declined each school year since at least 2017-2018, when enrollment was 8,923 students. The largest decline has been among White students, going from 3,340 in 2018 to 2,535...   See Article

Original Report, 08-11-2023

Decatur Public Schools District 61 (DPS61) is governed by a Board of officials elected in odd-numbered years during municipal elections, and led by a Superintendent. We may add more information at a later time. Below are links you may find useful. District Information District Website Communi...   See Article

Summary, 08-09-2023

Today's Finance Committee Meeting covered discussion of electric buses, a delayed budget, and fund balances. Watch the video. Dennis I attended in hopes of Dennis updates, but there were none. After the meeting, I asked Director of Buildings & Grounds, Kent Metzger, if he got the clearance to...   See Article

Original Report, 08-01-2023

DPS61 will hold a Finance Committee Meeting tonight, Tuesday August 1, 2023, at 4pm at the Keil Administration Building, 101 West Cerro Gordo Street, in the Third Floor Conference Room. Meeting Agenda: Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Discussion Electric Bus Discussion Budget Update Audit Upda...   See Article

Summary, 08-01-2023

Tidbits

No tidbits have been added to this story...

Sources

These were received through a FOIA request.   See Source

11-03-2023

DPS61 2023-2024 Curriculum. We submitted a FOIA request for this curriculum & were directed to the online source.   See Source

03-30-2023

This is the final budget for 2023 for the Decatur Public School district.   See Source

03-24-2023