[{"_1":2,"_109":-5,"_110":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6540517,"mediaKeyId","3407039-71ff350339c3ea1ac40b02a69c886545","parentId",3407039,"title","Board member Johnson urges disbanding finance committee and says she will not support career center project","audioSeconds",223,"startMs",2577000,"endMs",2800000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3407039-71ff350339c3ea1ac40b02a69c886545&start=2577&end=2800","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3407039-71ff350339c3ea1ac40b02a69c886545/thumbnail_2577000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6540517/Illinois/Board-member-Johnson-urges-disbanding-finance-committee-and-says-she-will-not-support-career-center-project","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6540517-f19f2d6221f86cf5094def0a3b3cf60a/orig.mp4?Expires=1771151360&Signature=ZYcrDbM6W3k-5dm7BM2q7N4NNkFRYbLOSr8tl40BvSEciZ~hRQ1DkmnYz1kURz20d3f1iG-S~ebW85hhe8IiAB-Ai087kgJxHi9YQYDrXEA39MfM0rTXKXhNKmOMMnpeRfxlL9DPjZjWJJQsOZoTENS9cOgbPnSBCcSCSnUYNtULdB7sHNKUy-WKVLjBOuigxaH9jd-mO47EllergneU1pK-b0gR9qWpuVZs9fjsOHsdaG6KvgVUS4JHVDIYKT4nNnhepDWM51Wt2hLvAY5hyxAl9TmF1iYEDu7OjzbXAjQgvVR63lE8kDov4AywcRZIO2ipyXlOR5ZwK~ORvxpr-w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Aurora East USD 131","date","2025-05-19T00:00:00Z","article","At the May 19 meeting of Aurora East USD 131’s Board of Education, board member Johnson called for disbanding the finance and personnel committee and announced she will not support continuing with the district’s career center project as currently proposed.

Johnson said she did not want to serve as chair of the finance committee and urged the board to consider disbanding that committee and conducting finance discussions as a full board because “all of the board members are new” and “it is very important that our board members understand the finances of the district.” She said the committee’s deliberations had been “watered down through the years” and emphasized that tax levies and the district budget are core responsibilities that require broader board involvement.

On the career center, Johnson said she “will not be supporting moving forward on the career center” and cited multiple reasons: she said federal funding (Title funding) is uncertain, and she stated the project was “$12,500,000 over budget.” Johnson said the facility “was always supposed to be an 80,000 square foot facility” and described successive reductions in scope. She also referenced a recent Beacon News article that, in her words, “has brought some definite issues to light” concerning pay and staffing that she believes should be addressed before the district proceeds with major capital spending.

Johnson framed her remarks as a public record of her position and urged careful attention to finances before committing to expensive projects. The transcript records Johnson’s statements as individual board commentary; the board did not take a formal vote to disband the finance committee or to halt the career center during the portion of the meeting captured in the provided transcript.

No staff presentation, alternate budget scenario or formal board response to Johnson’s stated positions is recorded in the provided public remarks. Other agenda items followed after her comments.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Board of Education 5 19 25","oneSentenceSummary","Board member Johnson said the finance and personnel committee should be disbanded so the full board addresses district finances and stated she will not support moving forward with the career center project citing budget overruns and uncertainty over federal funding.","taxTitle","Aurora East USD 131, School Boards, Illinois","taxId",74116,"location","Illinois","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6540523,"Community speakers urge summer health fairs, welcome new board members and raise maintenance-staff concerns",0,634000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3407039-71ff350339c3ea1ac40b02a69c886545&start=634&end=634","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3407039-71ff350339c3ea1ac40b02a69c886545/thumbnail_634000.jpg","/articles/6540523/Illinois/Community-speakers-urge-summer-health-fairs-welcome-new-board-members-and-raise-maintenance-staff-concerns","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6540523-ce44b0e2b71b1b0361f51bbae7ebfab4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771151360&Signature=E1m8pml1Fkwb8B05kQgU3NaBbL70oBUH9HkIRy8Ot3PZh~oyQcu90ocAke~km2Ez5bPI4reJ6uLuDhhHT4PUdXf~zznCasFITYclJBaiOnt9J6O-~XrMHZRyqSwGL-i5gd5lN3KGEL2aA1mXSVttKdxA7wR14WgI7FPIqDehGTbOWjTfEitMJXMGYPNKLr5gDRn7uE50lZaoC-ikzSl8vE9YFcOGxw-si6o9obcH53ABnuhzxKBC1sZ~iG15b57DxJk9V9xGSek2MCPJz0pVgUSiB8L9ruMoI9a8KSDQQ6-wjw9JVmTeBR~UI9XPxeXNwe0kCcsCQvSNlL0jTD~PWQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Several community members used the public-comment portion of the May 19 meeting to request district support for community events, welcome new board members and raise workplace concerns.

Veronica Garcia of Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness asked the board to help publicize two summer health fairs (one in June and a second in August) that will offer physicals for kindergartners, sixth graders and student athletes and bring in community organizations for family resources. Garcia said the events align with the district’s school-health partnership and asked who she should contact to arrange communications. The superintendent asked Garcia to send the event exemplars to Lisa Morales for review; the district agreed to publicize the events if there were no outstanding questions.

Casilo “Casey” Cuevas, who introduced himself as deputy mayor of the city of Aurora and an East Aurora High School graduate, congratulated newly elected and newly assigned board leaders and expressed support for the district. Javier Solano, representing the bilingual parent advisory board (VPAC), thanked Superintendent Halverson for “greet-and-meet” events and congratulated board members taking new leadership roles.

District employee Merrill Heron, who identified himself as a district maintenance mechanic and union steward of nearly 13 years, raised concerns about working conditions and contract negotiations affecting buildings-and-grounds staff. Heron said supervisors and higher-level staff were creating and enforcing contract-language changes “on the eve of … negotiations” and described the situation as creating an “ominous cloud” over bargaining; he asked the board to change the approach and rescind a policy he said was applied to him previously. The transcript records those comments in the public-comment section; no formal board action on the matters was recorded in the provided public minutes.

Other speakers — including Jovita Marcela Calderon and Maria Perez — offered welcome remarks to the board and expressed support for working with the new board members.

The district agreed to follow up on Garcia’s request via its communications process and to review any submitted materials for public distribution.

","Public commenters at the May 19 meeting requested district help publicizing summer health fairs, welcomed new board members, and a district maintenance employee raised concerns about labor practices and negotiations.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6540527,"Board and student board members present senior shout-outs, multiple students honored for scholarships and college plans",663,993000,1656000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3407039-71ff350339c3ea1ac40b02a69c886545&start=993&end=1656","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3407039-71ff350339c3ea1ac40b02a69c886545/thumbnail_993000.jpg","/articles/6540527/Illinois/Board-and-student-board-members-present-senior-shout-outs-multiple-students-honored-for-scholarships-and-college-plans","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6540527-73ca34abc00410071491f2cd60e5bf89/orig.mp4?Expires=1771151360&Signature=DnTRuHFEEovzRXGJTnu5i3ZNirfqZucYtR3qpyJt2m2hy1JQEznfSFTpiCpu70BwygZYiRIUOk0pr3iPAgJB8RdyQ~SIHKheKu0m02hHnkthzXCtExrjsWEkjB3kO2Z1P7jUe4TDEufqdJfldMg~kMu6p4qd1ycvH4BXiXiq50lBDOyBb~s1tWBxLkbWQx6pHoNnb~jlyhcocVIiADcCETWWFcQlBzlabT8sCsKAkOquZ0gKTp2moUL25QjkyETgRMTl54OHUm9SLmWLz0rSxAyNIRFz1vCiAFE3T3~BBUW--giz5KQPMevRuGyCCtBtH5QHYSyegc2PivqQKIy3cw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At the May 19 Aurora East USD 131 Board of Education meeting, district and student leaders recognized a group of East Aurora High School seniors for academic achievements and scholarship awards.

Superintendent Dr. Halverson introduced the student board member report and thanked student board members for their work. Student board member Kevin Martinez spotlighted the senior class’s achievements and announced this month’s “Tomcat shout out” for Audrey Nasser. Martinez said the class of 2025 showed “energy and determination” and praised stronger student engagement and expanded support systems across the district.

The district’s community relations staff invited several students to receive certificates and gifts. Students recognized and their stated plans or honors, as recorded in the transcript, include:
- Audrey Nasser — University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, environmental engineering; member of National Honor Society and Science National Honor Society; cited as in the top 10% of her class.
- Paul Perez (salutatorian) — Harvard University, applied mathematics with a focus on economics; noted as a Gates scholarship recipient.
- Hector Montellano — Harvard University, political science (as stated by student).
- Kevin Martinez (student board member; valedictorian) — Harvard University, economics; identified as a Gates Scholarship and Coca-Cola Scholarship recipient.
- Karina Zuniga Perez (student board member) — United States Naval Academy, engineering with service selection aviation.
- Other students and their stated college plans: Valerie Figueroa (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — neuroscience and math), Giovanny Gonzalez (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — engineering, undeclared), Jesus Gonzales (University of Miami — architecture), Luis Ortiz (University of Michigan Ann Arbor — English literature and film), Jeremy Perez (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — civil engineering), Isaac Sanchez (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — engineering, undeclared), Corina Villagran (University of Wisconsin–Madison — mechanical engineering).

Student board members Kevin Martinez and Karina Zuniga Perez each gave brief remarks about the impact of their roles. Martinez thanked the board and community, and Karina described the experience as “very impactful” and said it helped her public speaking and broadened her view of district operations.

The board recognized the students with certificates and posed for group photos. The superintendent encouraged community attendance at graduation on June 1 at Northern Illinois University at 1 p.m., which was also announced during district updates.

No formal actions were taken as part of the recognitions; the segment was informational.

","Student board members and district staff recognized high school seniors from East Aurora High School, noting Gates, Coca-Cola and other scholarships and announcing students' postsecondary plans.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":79,"_43":102,"_45":102,"_47":103,"_49":104,"_51":105,"_53":106,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":107,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":108,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6540529,"Board approves playground, HVAC, vehicles and band-uniform purchases; consent agenda adopted",2832000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3407039-71ff350339c3ea1ac40b02a69c886545&start=2832&end=2832","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3407039-71ff350339c3ea1ac40b02a69c886545/thumbnail_2832000.jpg","/articles/6540529/Illinois/Board-approves-playground-HVAC-vehicles-and-band-uniform-purchases-consent-agenda-adopted","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6540529-f2f2846a4e2d11de8196a095b4ca4fba/orig.mp4?Expires=1771151360&Signature=F9BFwGv-Koblg7NAC~9P7uQ9JaYWD3qM0euO7EIUXDHbMcUsEZxkFSZgRZ6igrIy1k3sLRKrLc6C6CrXsnp5ChEtMwDIPFC0KKCsl1FQfM10lLzSNeSYulHHDPGebXDahtg~eIIcGP8hQWGclrEx4CnlAqZTB5es~oT5ouMh~M36GnX5Fg6-wb~fGdFNmzfYsqG74MSRkyUJyzOMhm7gtWHaHsS2vCNpCnS9NXliVH1nukyhIDw1b1k5ebkXY7zdfJbrFF59rWvHGk6oCHG0dpU-X4C8jSYyQORArrT5eIKc6RBrB7Oku6jF8OJwEco-DAzt56J~4Iqrs1Mov0v14w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Aurora East USD 131 Board of Education on May 19 approved four separate purchases and adopted a consent agenda, voting unanimously on the items as listed on the meeting agenda.

The board voted to: approve preschool playground equipment and poured-in-place surface at Johnson School from GameTime for $89,325.61; approve replacement of hood vents in the consumer science room at Cowherd Middle School by DeKalb Mechanical Inc. for $57,910; purchase two driver’s-education vehicles through the Suburban Purchasing Cooperative for $59,778; and purchase band uniforms from FJM Uniform for $246,000. Board members moved and seconded each item in sequence and the roll calls recorded only “yes” votes for those motions as transcribed.

All four motions were taken individually and were accompanied by roll-call votes. The consent agenda that followed was also moved, seconded and approved by roll call. Later in the meeting the board recessed into executive session to discuss property acquisition, pending litigation, student discipline and personnel matters; the board reconvened and the president stated there would be no action following the closed session.

The motions carried with recorded roll calls; the transcript shows no recorded “no,” “abstain,” or recusals on these items.

The approvals authorize the district to proceed with the specified purchases and contract awards. No additional contingencies, contract or vendor details beyond the vendor names and dollar amounts were specified in the public discussion recorded in the transcript.

Votes at a glance
- Johnson School playground and poured-in-place surface — Vendor: GameTime; Amount: $89,325.61; Outcome: approved (roll-call recorded “yes” votes). Motion moved and seconded.
- Hood-vent replacement at Cowherd Middle School — Vendor: DeKalb Mechanical Inc.; Amount: $57,910; Outcome: approved (roll-call recorded “yes” votes). Motion moved and seconded.
- Two driver’s-education vehicles — Procurement via Suburban Purchasing Cooperative; Amount: $59,778; Outcome: approved (roll-call recorded “yes” votes). Motion moved and seconded.
- Band uniforms — Vendor: FJM Uniform; Amount: $246,000; Outcome: approved (roll-call recorded “yes” votes). Motion moved and seconded.
- Consent agenda — Outcome: approved (roll-call recorded “yes” votes).

No public debate or detailed staff presentations about alternatives, financing sources, or procurement scoring were recorded in the public portion of the meeting for these items. The transcript records the motions, seconds and roll-call votes but does not include additional contract terms, delivery timelines or funding-account codes in the public remarks.

Following the public business, the board entered executive session for the listed purposes and reconvened with no public action announced.","At its May 19 meeting, the Aurora East USD 131 Board of Education approved four procurement motions totaling about $453,014 and adopted a consent agenda; an executive session was held with no further public action.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board member Johnson urges disbanding finance committee and says she will not support career center project

Community speakers urge summer health fairs, welcome new board members and raise maintenance-staff concerns

Board and student board members present senior shout-outs, multiple students honored for scholarships and college plans

Board approves playground, HVAC, vehicles and band-uniform purchases; consent agenda adopted