Minooka Community High School May Drop Special Ed Co-op

111 may resign from a local special education co-op, board members learned at its meeting Thursday night.

Currently, 15 special education teachers from the Grundy County Special Education Cooperative teach at MCHS. The district gets a discount on teachers hired from the co-op, which also includes school districts in Morris, South Wilmington, Coal City, and Braceville.

Superintendent James Colyott said that the teachers' cost is based on the number of participating districts in the co-op, and as districts leave, the teachers' rates go up. If MCHS leaves the co-op, it could set its own rates for teachers.

Colyott stressed that the board is only considering the move at this time. Board members will discuss the issue at the Oct. 19 meeting (on a Wednesday because of parent-teacher conferences) and the public is welcome to weigh in on the issue.

In other school board news:

• Parent-teacher conferences will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., Oct. 20 at in Channahon. Parents can schedule conferences online at mchs.net or can call Sherry Harris at 815-467-2140, Ext. 124, to reserve a conference time.
• MCHS junior Lenny Hernandez won an essay contest sponsored by Teen Vogue. Her essay was about playing on the Minooka girls soccer team and her prize was a team workout with professional soccer player Alex Scott. The team also won Puma athletic apparel.
• The MCHS 2010-2011 yearbook was named to publisher Walsworth's Gallery of Excellence, honoring the top publications of the company's 4,200 offerings.
• MCHS junior was named the 2011 Grundy County Corn Fest Queen. This is the second year in a row an MCHS student has been named festival queen.