Justin Michael Hendrix - Unit 4 School Board

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Greetings Champaign Unit 4 Schools families, staff, and community

B O A R D
M E E T I N G
T O N I G H T… 5️⃣:3️⃣0️⃣PM

⬇️⬇️ is the agenda for today meeting.

Justin Michael Hendrix - Unit 4 School Board 🚸

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Greetings Champaign Unit 4 Schools families, staff, and community - we have been made aware of the website corrections and “potential confusions”.

Below ⬇️ are ✌🏾 options for applying or reviewing employment vacancies for careers opportunities:

OPTION 1️⃣:

JG Consulting Link: https://jobs.jgconsulting.us

OPTION 2️⃣:

ROE 9 Link: https://www.applitrack.com/champaignschools/onlineapp/default.aspx?Category=Administration

For OPTION 2️⃣ please be sure to 💥🖱️CLICK 💻 the “ADDITIONAL INFORMATION” tab 🗂️ to show more information.

It is my hope we are able to access all formats when applying for the incoming Superintendent Dr. Geovanny Ponce’s cabinet.

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Justin Michael Hendrix - Unit 4 School Board 🚸

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was another opportunity to collaborate in governance as Councilwoman Shauna Clayborn Champaign District 3 and myself hosted a second Townhall meeting to ensure are included.

I am grateful to partner with another governing member and elected official (AGAIN) to execute for our constituents and the community at large‼️

These opportunities are allowing us to utilize unconventional channels to meet for ensuring:

1️⃣ Transparency

2️⃣ Culture Competence

3️⃣ Equitable Education (student centered) vs the “performative equality in education” format over the years!

4️⃣ Restriction of Discriminatory Practices in Gifted & Talent, SPED, and career counseling.

5️⃣ Investment + Collaborative with Community Partners and Resources.

6️⃣ Awareness & the avoidance of “monolithic” thought patterns in practice and professionalism.

7️⃣ Intentional Goal Setting with achievement, curriculum, and accessibility.

8️⃣ Trust Building in communities and neighborhoods.

9️⃣ Moving the district forward in proficiency levels, fair representation, early intervention and developmentally appropriate practices to programming.

🔟 Support for the Champaign Unit 4 Schools incoming Superintendent Dr. Geovanny Ponce

The conversations were not only well rounded yet generational — speaking to the educational history in Champaign and Unit 4 Schools many do not know or care to acknowledge…

(so sound familiar with the times 😂 doesn’t it)

I would like to thank all the attendees that were able to participate in a timely manner. And for those unable to attend we still appreciate your responses.

As the incoming superintendent, Dr. Geovanny Ponce has been dedicated to learning more about the community in various ways to which we can continue to hold him accountable while working alongside him as he stated…

“Community is ALL involved!” ☮️

We appreciate your presence and energy during these two sessions especially knowing your busy schedule. We are appreciative of your efforts to commit even prior to your July 2026 start date.

I will be sure to send follow emails to the questions sent as agreed by Dr. Geovanny Ponce.

Please stay on the look out 🚨 for the next Town Hall installment with Shauna R. Clayborn and myself!

“Our Community, Our Schools”,

Justin Michael Hendrix - Unit 4 School Board🚸

A M I N A H 👧🏽
S T R O N G 💝
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1️⃣ 2026 Arthur B. Cooper Scholarship 🤙🏾 🎓

The Black and Gold Initiative Foundation and Zeta Xi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc have established this scholarship for African American male 👨🏾‍🎓🧑🏿‍🎓graduating high school seniors.

The purpose of this scholarship is to assist the student financially in their pursuit of post-secondary education.

This scholarship, named for one of the recharter founders of the Zeta Xi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., has provided over $50,000 in scholarships to dozens of young men in the greater Champaign community.



ΖΞΛ Link: champaignalphas.org/scholarships

2️⃣ 2026 Black Lives Matter Scholarship ✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿🎓

This scholarship is made available by McKinley Memorial Presbyterian Church and McKinley Foundation at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (“McKinley”).

AMOUNT:

The Black Lives Matter Scholarship is an award of $500.

ELIGIBILITY:

To be eligible to receive this scholarship, applicants must meet all three of these requirements:

• Identify as Black or African American. US citizenship is not required.

• Graduating Champaign Centennial, Champaign Central, or Urbana High School. 👨🏾‍🎓👩🏿‍🎓👩🏾‍🎓🧑🏽‍🎓👩🏽‍🎓👨🏿‍🎓

• Attending an accredited post-secondary educational or training institution (certification or degree seeking program) during the 2026-2027 academic year.

CRITERIA:

Scholarship recipients will be selected based upon the following criteria:

• Quality of application

• Quality of personal statement

• Demonstration of financial need

📄 APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 17, 2026

📨 Inbox for the application or contact: [email protected]

📧 Please all completed applications to: [email protected]

📮 You may also mail your application to:
McKinley Grants & Scholarships
410 E Daniel Street
Champaign, IL 61820

📝: Scholarship recipients will be notified in May and honored during senior night ceremonies. Checks will be mailed directly to the student upon receipt of proof of enrollment.

Justin Michael Hendrix - Unit 4 School Board 🚸

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In a years time as an elected official I have learned:

1️⃣ The community comes first always. ☮️

2️⃣ Public comment is a great way to express concerns to the board. Unless you’re a small anonymous 🎪 group on Facebook 🤡

3️⃣ Board comment must be informative and sometimes funny. 📰 🎭

4️⃣ Policy is knowledge! 🧠

5️⃣ ⭐️ Regardless of differences as a board we’ve created a formula that works for us and I am very proud of that. 🫱🏾‍🫲🏼

6️⃣ The position as an elected official is FREE yet many think it’s a PAID position.

📝: Grad school isn’t cheap 👀 either 😭

7️⃣ Always remain truthful to yourself even when not in the majority. 💯

8️⃣ Family is everything. 🤎

9️⃣ I have been able to learn through governance. ⚖️

🔟 Statewide in these elected official board seats the people know JUSTIN MICHAEL HENDRIX and I appreciate it. ⚓️

Honorable Mention: When BS goes down I’m sure to become a meme! 😂

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April is Autism Acceptance Month! As part of our See Amazing in All Children initiative, we have developed new resources to help families discover, support, and share the amazing in all children. Learn more: https://m.sesame.org/autismresourcefb.

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What Did You Do⁉️

📍SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS

The day was filled with meeting elected officials, stakeholders, and other professionals around the state meeting at the capital.

The Illinois Association of School Boards or did not disappoint - as we were able to use our time wisely to not only share state wide initiatives, but also local concerns. 🫡

The purpose was to ensure we are provided for appropriately through the legislative process here in Champaign County where two existing school districts exists!

I enjoyed myself as always when visiting the capital: reconnecting with other orgs I am part of such as Equality Illinois to Boys & Girls Clubs of America, previous stakeholders, and more.

3️⃣:0️⃣0️⃣ I was able to meet with State Senator Paul Faraci and inform him of community issues in the North End, Bradley Park, and Country Brook areas where gun violence has been an issue amongst our communities and youth impacting our schools.

Honorable Mention: Director of Governmental Relations Illinois Association of School Boards.

My Special Guest: Tonoa Penn aka MOM 💝

Hearing Photo: Elementary and Secondary Education Services in IL (featured ESTL, Decatur, and North Chicago district employees)

Overall the experience is as always worth it when knowing today will lead to tomorrow’s future!

And now it’s time for a LEGISLATIVE update:

1️⃣ Illinois SB 2773 is a 2026 legislative proposal aiming to address teacher shortages by creating a pathway for paraprofessionals with temporary, short-term licenses to obtain permanent licensure. The bill allows those with three years of experience, good evaluations, and 60 hours of professional development to receive a full Educator License with Stipulations. Link: https://www.ilga.gov/Legislation/BillStatus/FullText?GAID=18&DocNum=2773&DocTypeID=SB&LegId=164768&SessionID=114

Proposal/Sponsored by State Senator Meg Loughran Cappel, includes:

* Target Population: Paraprofessionals (support staff/teacher assistants) who hold a non-renewable "short-term approval" license, which is typically valid for three years.

* Licensure Pathway: Upon expiration of their short-term approval, the bill mandates the State Superintendent of Education to issue an Educator License with Stipulations with a paraprofessional educator endorsement to those who meet specific criteria.

* Requirements: To qualify, individuals must have been employed for three years, received good evaluations, and completed 60 professional learning hours.

2️⃣ Illinois HB5363 (2026-2027), effective July 1, 2026, mandates that ACT Now partner schools implement community school models, including comprehensive "pipeline services," annual data submission, and strict oversight procedures to the State Board. The bill focuses on expanding afterschool resources, with 2026 advocacy highlighting its role in funding, reports Illinois Collaboration On Youth. Link: https://www.icoyouth.org/policy-advocacy/legislative-advocacy-agenda/

* Pipeline Services: Schools must implement activities involving academic, social, health, and community services.

* Oversight: ACT Now will establish accounting procedures and conduct annual grant evaluations.

* Reporting: Schools must report annual service data to the State Board of Education.

* Technical Assistance: ACT Now is required to provide professional development to schools and partners.

3️⃣ Illinois HB5362 (2025-2026 session) is a proposed appropriation bill that seeks to provide $20,000,000 from the state budget to the Illinois State Board of Education. This funding is designated as a grant to the Afterschool for Children and Teens Now (ACT Now) Coalition to support full-service community schools, effective July 1, 2026.

* Purpose: Funding supports afterschool programs through the ACT Now Coalition.

* Amount: $20,000,000�
* Target: Full-service community schools.

* Effective Date: July 1, 2026
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🚨 Major Illinois Curriculum & Instruction Mandates (2025-2026):

* AI Guidance & Usage: Beginning Jan. 1, 2026, AI can only be used to augment instruction, not replace a teacher. New guidance for AI in K-12 education is required.

* Climate Change Education: Starting in the 2026–27 school year, public schools must integrate climate change, environmental, and ecological impacts into their curriculum (HB4895).

* Dual Language Programs: By Dec. 15, 2026, the Illinois State Board of Education will adopt comprehensive standards for dual language education programs. Link:https://www.isbe.net/Documents/IL-Mandated-Units-of-Study.pdf

* Recent History Instruction: Starting 2026-2027, social studies courses must include a unit on the last 30 years of history (SB2058).

* Curriculum Transparency: Districts must post detailed curricular materials (books, media, etc.) on their websites, updated one month before each semester (SB1227).

* Mandated Trainings: Staff must complete mandatory trainings within six months of their first contractual workday, covering topics like anabolic steroid abuse prevention.

* Cursive Writing: Beginning 2026-2027, cursive instruction must be offered to students in grades 3 through 5 (SB2676).

* Inclusive History: A new commission is developing updated, multi-perspective history standards to be rolled out, with alternative curricula required to be ready by June 2026 (HB2927).
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⚠️ Illinois House Bill 4416 (HB 4416), introduced in the 2025-2026 legislative session, proposes amending the Unemployment Insurance Act to allow non-teaching school support staff to receive unemployment benefits during scheduled breaks, such as summer, winter, and spring breaks.

What is HB 4416?
The bill aims to provide unemployment eligibility to employees in positions other than instructional, research, or principal administrative capacities (e.g., cafeteria workers, bus drivers, teaching assistants) for breaks beginning on or after June 1, 2026.

✅ Pros (Arguments in Support)
* Income Stability: Provides steady income for school support staff, who are often underpaid and face significant financial insecurity during breaks when they are not working.

* Fairness: Treats school support staff more like employees in other industries, recognizing that many need year-round income to meet basic needs. Link: http://ieaespcouncil.com

⚠️ Cons (Arguments Against)
* Unfunded Mandate: Opponents argue this creates a "costly, ongoing unfunded mandate" for school districts, with estimated costs of $452 million per year.

* Property Tax Increases: The increased financial burden on local school districts could lead to higher property taxes for residents.

* Budget Strain: Districts may be forced to make cuts to classrooms, staffing, and other student services to cover the unemployment costs.

🛑: The bill is currently being discussed, with opponents urging taxpayers to contact representatives to oppose it due to the financial impact on local districts.

I will be sure to explain this topic further at the next SB meeting. I will be returning next week to the capital for more work!

Signed,

“The Influencer” as according to the Group aka 😉😂

Justin Michael Hendrix - Unit 4 School Board🚸

THEM: 🚨
Me: Champaign Unit 4 Schools HAS BEEN MADE AWARE‼️

Justin Michael Hendrix - Unit 4 School Board 🚸

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Greetings Champaign Unit 4 Schools families, staff, and community

B O A R D
M E E T I N G
T O N I G H T… 5️⃣:3️⃣0️⃣PM

⬇️⬇️ is the agenda for today meeting.

Justin Michael Hendrix - Unit 4 School Board🚸

🚏🚍

Greetings Champaign Unit 4 Schools families, staff, and community

B O A R D
M E E T I N G
T O N I G H T… 5️⃣:3️⃣0️⃣PM

There’s A SHIFT Coming Ya’ll Better Pay Attention 👀

⬇️⬇️ is the agenda for today meeting.

Justin Michael Hendrix - Unit 4 School Board🚸