Tuesday's meeting of the Taylorville CUSD #3 Board of Education saw school principal changes announced and a student cell phone policy approved, among other business.
Taylorville Junior High School will have a new principal in Grant Graham. The North Mac alumnus has familial connections to the area and served as offensive coordinator for South Fork High School's eight-man football team.
Graham takes over for Stile Smith, who in turn will become the principal of North Elementary School.
The board voted to approve a new universal cell phone policy for students at the high school. The decision comes following Governor JB Pritzker's signing of Senate Bill 2427. The legislation requires school districts to enact policies that prohibit the use of cell phones by students during classes. Principal Matt Hutchison says the district's new policy, which he read aloud at the meeting, required only minimal alteration compared to last year to comply with the new state law.
The board also approved a proposal for junior high-level track athletes at VisionWay Christian School to join Taylorville Junior High School's track team in a co-op. The agreement is contingent upon approval from the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA). Superintendent Brandi Bruley says VisionWay's staff will retain supervision responsibilities of their students during team activities.
Other motions the board passed regard:
- A surety bond package,
- A facility usage agreement with the Christian County Board,
- A trade-in of two Dodge Caravans the school district had used for transporting groups of students to activities for two newer models,
- The allowance of inter-fund transfers.
During the superintendent's report, Bruley spoke on the quickly approaching start of the 2026/27 academic year and several orientations and conferences ahead of the start of classes.
The next meeting of the Taylorville School Board is set for Tuesday, August 11.
