The District 150 School Board approved an agreement with the West Central Building & Construction Trades Council.
The three-year deal includes no work stoppage on projects, helps keep work local and has more training for contractors. The move comes as voters will consider a one-percent sales tax increase next week. Mike Everett is president of the West Central Illinois Council. He says the deal will have significantly less impact if the sales tax isn't approved:
“This agreement would still be there but unfortunately it will probably be in a drawer somewhere because without any revenue, the schools will all struggle to get done the things they need to get done, a lot of these things are urgent life-safety issues, leaky roofs, bad air quality, bad heating systems that type of thing. These things are hard to deal with, these districts have to deal with them,” Everett says.
The proposed increase would bring nine-million-dollars to District 150 each year for facility improvements. The school board also heard from teachers, parents and residents speaking out against embattled-Superintendent Grenita Lathan amid a state investigation into testing irregularities at Charter Oak. The Board also approved spending $190,000 for two properties near Peoria High for on-site athletic facilities.