The conductor’s baton will soon be passed to a new band director, as the Wethersfield Board of Education chose Patrick Wilson, band instructor at the Lincoln K-8 School in Peoria, Thursday, to succeed Jay Hagaman, who is retiring at the end of the school year.
Wilson, who graduated from Western Illinois University Magna Cum Laude and was selected as Outstanding Department Scholar, began his teaching career 22 years ago as general music, band and chorus instructor in the Ladd/Malden School District. He has served as band instructor in the LaSalle School District and the Princeton Christian Academy. He also currently serves as an adjunct saxophone professor at Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby.
In his resume profile, Wilson describes himself as an “experienced and enthusiastic music teacher with a passion for teaching others…committed to tailoring instruction to individual student learning strengths and needs.” Among his key skills he lists adaptability and communication.
According to the school’s website, Lincoln K-8 opened in January 2013 with the consolidation of Lincoln Middle School and Irving Primary School in Peoria. It currently houses grades Kindergarten through 8th grade and serves approximately 750 students. There are over 80 full-time and part-time staff members.
Hagaman, a Galva native, wraps up a 34-year career in music education, the last 22 at Wethersfield Junior-Senior High School. He previously taught five years at Pittsfield and seven in Galva. At Wethersfield he also taught a dual credit course in Music Education and served many years as coach of the Scholastic Bowl team.
-The board also adopted the FY23 tax levy following a brief truth in taxation hearing required since the levy was more than 5% of last year’s request. The actual levy is 4.88% higher but adding in a bond levy pushed the total slightly over 5% (5.81%). The overall tax rate will remain relatively unchanged at $4.51. Supt. Dr. Andrew Brooks said in an earlier interview that although the truth in taxation hearing was not technically required, it was a “good idea to do so.” The last time Wethersfield was required to hold a truth in taxation hearing was 2010 when the levy was raised to reimburse Kewanee Hospital for funds withheld while a question on the tax exempt status of non-profit hospitals across the state was resolved.
-The board also approved a resolution to abate $159,972 from the debt service fund with proceeds from school facility sales tax revenue to pay debt service on alternate revenue bonds which helped keep the overall tax rate the same as last year.
-Tim Ridings, writer/editor of the News Journal of Kewanee Facebook page, addressed the board about the direction education in Illinois has taken since the Bible and prayer have been taken out of the public schools. Ridings said in the coming year he hopes to make an effort to inform parents and school officials statewide about what has happened to our schools and what can be done to make them better.
-The board also met in executive session for nearly an hour with “individual student matters” and “staff discipline/performance matters,” listed on the agenda as reasons for the closed session. No action was taken.
