Editors note 8/25/22

The Springfield air was full of possibility this week as children and teachers returned to school, all vowing to make this year better than the one before. New outfits, backpacks and planners marked determination for success. New buildings, furniture and paint throughout District 186 showed children and educators that the rest of us are willing to invest in them. The teacher contract has yet to be settled, but the administration seems eager to fill empty positions, a union concern. Across Illinois, more property-tax-poor school districts are getting increase state funding, due to reforms enacted five years ago. A new school year gives us all fresh hope. –Fletcher Farrar