Rep. Carol Sente Meeting Summary

Thank you to our community members who attended the Representative Carol Sente presentation on March 14.  Oak Grove was very well represented. A large number of emails are coming to her from our area. We appreciate that Representative Sente agreed to speak with us about this important topic and she said that this was the largest audience of constituents that she has addressed. She spoke and listened well and I think we have made a connection with her. The audience seemed to find the meeting helpful and stayed until 10 p.m. asking individual questions.

Some points from the meeting:

1)   Continue to send in your emails and letters.  Rep. Sente requested that people be specific about how consolidation may affect them.

2)   Rep. Sente agreed to recommend to Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, the sponsor for HB 1216, that a vote of the people be added to the bill.  Rep. Sente said that she would eventually vote against HB 1216 if that were not achieved.

3)   Consolidation could mean dividing up a school as well as adding districts together.

4)   The amended HB 1216 slows the process and adds educators to the commission that will draw school district lines.

5)   A second bill, Senate Bill 1324 is moving through the Senate.

6)   Our school districts are doing well.

7) For information on bills:  http://www.ilga.gov


Thank you to District 128 for hosting the event and Superintendent Prentice Lea for doing a great job as the moderator and Mary Todoric for the photograph.