Looking beyond the pandemic and taking a deep dive into the status of its facilities is the goal of a Champaign County school district as we enter 2021.

With aging facilities and a growing student body, Mahomet-Seymour Schools are looking ahead to 2021 when they plan to start engaging their community about its facilities. Dr. Lindsey Hall indicates the Board of Education hopes to have a plan for their facilities spanning 10-to-20 years.

According to Dr. Hall, the wheels are turning on putting together a community team to make this happen. She wants to hear from the taxpayers on what they believe the needs of the district are.

For the community group leading this effort, Dr. Hall indicates they will start with some education on the state of their facilities and progress the conversation forward. With several challenges they foresee, there will be a lot to consider for their community. 

Considering the financial picture will be a very significant component to the discussion and Dr. Hall anticipates a referendum coming forward around 2022 but they will have to do a thorough evaluation of the impacts of such a referendum on their finances. 

Dr. Hall indicates their junior high school is out of space and they have more students in it than they ever have. Additionally, it is an older facility and does not support 21st-century learning. She looks forward to what 2021 will bring for their discussion about the future of their facilities.