FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. – A Metro East superintendent turned down to talk regarding how the district is handling money.
Parents in Grant Community Consolidated School District 110 in Fairview Heights have been seeking answers about the stability of the district, and the Illinois State Board says they’re experiencing financial difficulties.
At one point, the district was $1.8 million in deficit. That brings concerns to parents like Theresa Mathis.
“They’re talking about cutting art programs, eliminating teachers, eliminating classes per grade level, which is going to make classes larger,” she said. “It’s going to have less individualized attention towards kids, they’re not going to have extracurricular sports… I want my kids to have opportunities to be a part of band or art programs, and they just won’t have that.”
Mathis places the blame on Superintendent Matt Stines, who she says hasn’t given any indication it’s anyone but him causing the issues.
FOX 2 attempted to ask Stine about the problems at a school board meeting, but was turned down repeatedly.
The district has also been criticized by the state for being late to file federal grants, losing out on more than $400,000.
“Filings didn’t seem to be made until the state board forced the issue and brought it to the public,” former board member Tiffany Baldwin said. “Dozens of reminders to the superintendent…went unanswered until finally the state board of education said, ‘Enough is enough.’ I want to see new management, I want to see new administration.”
There are 582 students within the district, and Baldwin says changes are needed.
“He hasn’t been doing (appropriate reporting) it for six years; how can you expect that he’s not going to keep on doing that?” she said.
