Special Meeting of the Board of Education
Apr 9, 2026
The lede
- The Board voted 6–1 to close Perry Elementary School at the end of the 2025–26 school year, citing a disproportionately large repair cost (~$6.8M in phase one, potentially $13–15M more), declining enrollment, and sufficient capacity at other elementary schools.
- The Board voted 7–0 to approve a transition plan that gives Perry families school choice via lottery, priority for keeping siblings together, and cohort placement options at Lincoln or Washington; staff will be placed based on seniority and certification.
- The community mounted a passionate defense of Perry, with students, parents, teachers, alumni, and the mayor testifying that the small neighborhood school fosters safety, strong relationships, and exceptional achievement—and arguing that the district failed to maintain the building or honor a 2024 board vote to keep it open.
- Board members acknowledged the difficulty of the decision but emphasized fiscal responsibility to all taxpayers, the need to close a $5M operating deficit, and confidence that other schools offer equally caring environments.
- Immediate next steps include personalized outreach to all Perry families to help them register and understand their options, individual meetings with staff on Monday, and comfort-dog visits to the school.
Attendance & housekeeping
Present (all 7 members): Barbi Yunk, Jermaine Pigee, Scott Mueller, Holly Houk, Jorge Herrera, Jeff Diestelmeier, Brian Hoemke
Meeting structure: A public hearing on the closure began at ~6:00 PM and was adjourned at 6:55 PM; a special board meeting immediately followed at 7:06 PM with additional public comment before the votes.
Decisions & votes
1. Motion to close Perry Elementary School effective end of 2025–26 school year
Vote: 6–1 (passes)
Yes: Diestelmeier, Hoemke, Houk, Yunk, Pigee, Herrera
No: Mueller
Discussion/rationale:
- Diestelmeier cited the building’s age and deferred maintenance, the $9.9M operating deficit (now ~$5M after cuts), demographic projections showing no enrollment growth, capacity at other schools, and fiduciary duty to all taxpayers. He expressed concern for transition support and confidence that other schools provide equally caring environments.
- Pigee said he committed to being a “good steward of taxpayer dollars”; the building’s age and repair costs made investment “hard to justify,” and other schools have the same capacity to welcome students.
- Hoemke framed his “yes” vote as fulfilling his elected duty on safety and fiscal sustainability, not as “acquiescence.” He called on administration to “embrace the chaos” of transition and said he had “deep faith” in the team.
- Yunk thanked the community, emphasized that “change is not easy” but children will thrive if adults model resilience, and affirmed her vote to close.
- Houk said the decision was “as difficult for us as it is for you”; noted she had been on both sides (her own children’s school was closed years ago), and that community input outside meetings “overwhelmingly said we need to be fiscally responsible.” She apologized and acknowledged Perry families’ pain.
- Herrera (Board President) said closing was “the right decision for me right here and right now.” Two years ago he voted to keep Perry open in part to seek future neighborhood development; he still advocates for that but believes even with investment Perry students would not have all the resources of other schools. He emphasized “it’s about the people,” not the building, and urged trust in the transition plan.
- Mueller (sole no vote) argued the cost—potentially $4M or less—is manageable compared to building new ($20–30M), that the previous board already did due diligence and voted 6–1 to keep it open, that Perry ranks second academically among district elementaries, and that no other budget measures have been tried. He said the board was “doing this backwards” and moving too fast without examining real alternatives.
Community testimony (summary):
- Parents, students, teachers, and alumni testified that Perry’s small size fosters deep relationships, personalized attention, high achievement (math and ELA scores rising), a village-like culture, and a safe walking-to-school neighborhood. Many said they would homeschool rather than attend another school.
- Critics alleged the closure was pre-planned, the timeline rushed (three weeks’ notice; design meetings not until July), the consultant survey of only 400 respondents “an insult,” and that deferred maintenance—not the school itself—drove the cost. They proposed lower-cost fixes (wheelchair lifts instead of elevators, fencing the playground, phased repairs).
- Several noted the Walmart distribution center and Chrysler plant reopening could bring an influx of families by 2027–28, requiring more capacity.
- The mayor testified that Perry serves an underserved neighborhood, that closing it risks neighborhood blight, and questioned spending on consultants and administration while neglecting the building. He noted the city collects impact fees to support schools and asked for transparency.
- Former board member Carla Mabel (who voted to close Perry two years ago) urged civility and noted “we are in a very different economic climate than two years ago.”
2. Motion to approve Perry Elementary School Transition Plan
Vote: 7–0 (unanimous; passes)
Key provisions of the plan (as discussed):
- Families register and complete a school-choice selection form; a lottery system will assign placement based on preferences, with priority for sibling groupings.
- Cohort option: families may choose to keep a larger group of Perry students together at Lincoln or Washington (the two schools with most capacity and closest proximity).
- Seth Whitman has limited classroom space; placements there will be honored where possible but are constrained.
- Kindergarteners’ home-school boundaries will be updated to Lincoln or Washington; families with older siblings may request placement together.
- Staff will be placed by seniority and certification; individual meetings scheduled for Monday with HR and union involvement.
- District commits to hands-on, personalized support: proactive phone calls to every Perry family to walk through registration and options; flexibility to adjust the plan as needed.
- Comfort dogs scheduled for Friday; counselors and social workers available as requested.
- Perry staff will have space next week to process and plan together; end-of-year legacy and closure events will be supported.
Discussion:
- Board members stressed the importance of flexibility, transparency, and daily updates as the transition unfolds.
- Concern raised that families may be confused by the lottery and cohort options; administration committed to individualized outreach.
- Emphasis that staff and student placements are permanent (not one-year) and that the district will “do everything we can” to honor preferences within capacity constraints.
Discussion items (no vote)
No content.
Public comment
~30 speakers addressed the board across both meetings, including:
- Students (some as young as kindergarten) who sang the Perry school song, spoke of friendships and love for teachers, and said they would rather be homeschooled than go elsewhere.
- Parents and grandparents who described Perry as a family, praised its academic results, and warned of trauma from closure.
- Teachers and staff (including the ESL teacher, secretary, and library assistant) who detailed the personalized care, high test scores despite deferred maintenance, and the unique village culture.
- Community members and alumni who argued Perry’s 127-year history and neighborhood-school model are irreplaceable, and that closing it will harm property values and civic fabric.
- Former board members who questioned the process, the speed, the survey methodology, and the spending on consultants and administration while Perry was neglected.
- The mayor of Belvidere, who called the closure a “repeat of 2024” and urged the board to recognize Perry’s importance to an underserved neighborhood.
Multiple speakers cited lower-cost alternatives (wheelchair lifts, phased repairs, grant funding for historic preservation) and accused the district of manufacturing a crisis to build an early-childhood center elsewhere. Several invoked “where there’s a will, there’s a way” and pleaded with board members to “look at these faces” before voting.
Notable moments
- Carla Mabel, a former board member who voted to close Perry in 2022, returned to urge civility and remind the board “you are people… this is a really good board” even if the decision is painful. She was the only public speaker to support closure and was thanked by multiple board members.
- Young children sang the Perry school song at the start of public comment, a moment that visibly moved the room.
- Intense emotion throughout: parents cried, children spoke, and several speakers directly challenged board members to justify the closure “to these faces.” One mother brought her children forward and said, “You people closed their school… I’m not going to tell them—you are.”
- Allegations of a rigged process: multiple speakers (including a former assistant superintendent) cited Freedom of Information Act requests showing survey questions were changed after board approval, the principal was removed in November (months before the closure announcement), and the timeline was designed to limit opposition.
- Comfort and resilience themes clashed: Board members Houk and Yunk spoke of modeling resilience and emphasized that children will “thrive” if adults present change positively. Houk shared that her own daughter (whose school closed) later said she “had the time of her life.” Community members rejected this, insisting Perry’s culture cannot be replicated.
- Tense exchanges: At one point, community members interrupted board members during their remarks, prompting President Herrera to remind the public that it was the board’s turn to speak. One person shouted “You planned this ahead of time” and was asked to respect decorum.
- Mayor’s pointed testimony: Mayor Clint Morris noted the district’s tax levy rose from $57M (2022) to $65M (2026), administrative staff grew from 17 to 32, and yet Perry faces closure. He warned of neighborhood blight and asked the board to “realize the impact.”
- Andrew Kitson’s repeated appearances: A parent and frequent speaker, Kitson filed FOIA requests, contacted the Illinois Attorney General (who advised him to seek an injunction), and challenged the board on cost-per-student metrics, survey integrity, and the lack of time to evaluate alternatives. He distributed donuts to the board at one meeting.
- Teacher Fort Zachary’s closing plea: “Perry represents all that was right in public education… Closing it would erase a living piece of Belvidere and weaken its future.” He accused the district of planning a new EC center two blocks away, calling it “the biggest slap in the face.”
- Post-vote silence and tears: After the 6–1 vote, the room was audibly upset. The transition-plan discussion that followed was somber, with board members and administration emphasizing care, support, and individualized attention for families and staff.