Rockford Sun

The Belvidere community school district has approved expansion of its early childhood program, though funding questions remain.

Controversy had arisen over board member Lisa Whitcomb's initial stance on postponing the vote.  

“What I object to tonight is not whether or not we're voting because we're going to move forward with that,” Whitcomb said during the board's March 20 regular meeting.

“It's the first time I've ever heard the motivation of other board members publicly questioned. I think that's a slippery slope and a really difficult pill to swallow."

Whitcomb said she doesn't always agree with fellow board members on substance, but that she has "never nor would I ever assert to say that if you don't vote in alignment with what I think...that it is somehow a reflection on my motivation as it relates to the motion.

"I just don't think there needs to be the characterization that if you don't vote a certain way, it means your motivation is you don't care about early childhood because nothing could be further from the truth.”

The board uploaded a live stream of its public meeting to the district’s YouTube channel.

In October of 2022, the Belvidere school board began research into improving and expanding its early childhood program.

The district currently offers a small scale early education program for pre-kindergarten; the proposed expansion could take on an additional 120 students in the next two school years. 

At the board meeting, the district faced a vote on whether or not to implement the recommendation in the upcoming year. Several residents and community members spoke up in the public comment session, both parents and teachers saying they saw a huge value in increased early education opportunities in the district and urging them to adopt the new programming. Some board members were interested in postponing the decision until April as they weren’t sure about the decision yet and wanted to have more details nailed down before the vote was taken.

The board will meet again at 5:30 p.m. on April 17 in the Board of Education room at 1201 5th Avenue.

At the March 20 board meeting, officials were eager to listen to their community members and pass this motion, as many of them felt that they should have been expanding these programs and offerings years ago. There are members of the district who are already looking for candidates for the new positions, eager to fill those roles. 

It is expected that funding could come from grants, Covid-19 related Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER) funds or the district's general funds.