Taylorville School Board advances renovation projects
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Rachel Elam
Breeze-Courier Writer
TAYLORVILLE — The Taylorville Board of Education held a regular meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. in the District Office Boardroom.
Building renovations and additions were a hot topic at last night’s meeting. Representatives from Graham and Hyde Architects presented updates on several major projects, including renovation plans for North School, a Health Life Safety Report for Memorial School and Taylorville High School, and preliminary drawings and cost projections for the proposed Performing Arts addition at the high school.
At North School, the renovations would convert the existing wrestling room into two classrooms and a new teacher’s lounge. The project, estimated between $500,000 and $750,000 is expected to go out for bid in January. Proposals should be ready for review by the February 2026 meeting, with hopes of construction beginning in early April.
Architects reported their Health and Life Safety study is nearly complete and will soon be submitted to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE). While only minor issues have been identified at the high school, significant concerns were raised regarding Memorial School. They aim to demonstrate to ISBE that a new facility is needed due to numerous deficiencies.
“You need an elevator, you have nowhere to grow, the playground is too small, it isn’t ADA compliant,” said xxx xxx. There are plenty of issues that need to be fixed.”
Finally, preliminary plans were shared for the long anticipated Performing Arts Center at Taylorville High School. The proposed 13,000-square-foot addition would feature 350 seats, an orchestra pit and a 40 foot stage. The design also includes storage ares, restrooms and optional spaces for concessions and a box office. The estimated price tag of the project came in at just under $10 million.
Board member Tom Finks expressed frustration over underground water storage tanks that were required during the construction of the Athletic Center, but were not brought to the board’s attention until the project was already halfway completed. He said, the late discovery has now affected how large the Performing Arts Center can be.
“Look how much space we lost for this project because nobody planned what to do with water storage – not the architect, not the city,” Finks said. “Nobody planned for that until we were so deep into the project that we had no choice but to do the underground tanks. There wasn’t space left to do anything else, and I’m angry. Now students and facilities will suffer.”
The 2025 tax levy was approved following a public hearing held prior to the meeting. No public comments were made and the levy passed with a 7-0 vote. It will now be submitted to the County Clerk’s Office for final approval.
The Board also heard from several members of the Taylorville FFA chapter who shared highlights from what has already been a successful year.
FFA instructor, Sue Schaffer praised the students’ accomplishments, saying, “Once again, we not only had great success at National FFA, but we’ve done a wide range of contests: job interviews, ag education, ag sales, agronomy, food science, horse judging, livestock judging, and I’m sure there are some that I’m missing,” she said, “What makes me most proud, however, is their dedication to community service.”
She also thanked the board for their continued support of the students.
Also approved at the meeting:
• Joint agreement of the NPT Special Education Cooperative
• Annual Statement of Affairs
• North Renovation Plan
• Beginning Fund Balance Requirement/Disclosure of Fund Cash Reserves prior to Tax Levy Adoption
• Application to ISBE on the School Maintenance Project Grant for key fobs and replacement lighting on the THS football field.
After returning from a short executive session, Taylorville Superintendent Brandi Bruley delivered her report. She discussed efforts to reduce the district’s deficit, referencing the three-year financial forecast presented at the November board meeting.
“I have met with both unions regarding seniority lists as well as Reduction in Force possibilities,” Bruley said. “Through attrition, as well as some movement of staff, the savings will be $672,782.”
Bruley noted that while the savings are significant, they will still fall short of closing the deficit. Additional plans and options will be presented to the Board in the coming months for further consideration.
The next regular meeting of the Taylorville Board of Education will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. in the District Office Boardroom.