A scheduled Unit 4 school board meeting in Champaign, Illinois was cancelled due to a lack of quorum. However, this led to a community rally in support of two principal appointments: Cessily Thomas for Booker T. Washington STEM Academy and Cynthia Watson for Edison Middle School. The rally was attended by numerous community members, including family of the candidates.
Public speakers voiced strong support for both Thomas and Watson, highlighting their qualifications and experience. Concerns were raised regarding the absent board members, Amy Armstrong, Betsy Holder, and Mark Holm, who were criticized for their absence at consecutive meetings. Many speakers emphasized the importance of these appointments for student representation and school improvement.
In response, Armstrong stated her concerns were not with the appointees themselves, but rather with the process leading to their selection and a lack of communication from the superintendent regarding the rebuilding of BTW after the removal of a previous principal. Holder expressed her belief that the meeting should have been cancelled before the agenda was posted given the known lack of quorum and emphasized the need for the new board to be sworn in.
The new school board is set to be sworn in on May 9th, with the postponed agenda items, including the principal appointments and school repairs, to be addressed at a subsequent meeting on May 12th. The outgoing board members also expressed their support for the candidates.