I.V. gets school district representation

After months without representation on the Three Rivers School District Board of Directors following Jenn Searle’s resignation, the Illinois Valley once again has a director in I.V. High School graduate Cameron Camp.
Camp was sworn in at the start of the Sept. 18 TRSD board meeting at the district office. He was praised by fellow board members and TRSD Superintendent Dave Valenzuela, who thanked Camp for applying to the vacant seat.
Valenzuela went on to deliver his first superintendent report since the start of the 2024 – 2025 school year, and fittingly his remarks began with his initial impressions on how the school year has started.
“It’s been fabulous,” Valenzuela said. “We have a ton of happy students running around the halls.”
The superintendent credited educators and administrators for the smooth start to the school year, saying they’ve done an “amazing job preparing staff to welcome students in a positive way.”
Valenzuela took the time to reiterate the emphasis the district puts on their mission statement: “To ensure high levels of learning for all students.”
He reviewed the elements the district faces that help them deliver on that mission, including professional learning communities, understanding data, adopting new curriculum and a “people first ideology.”
When he began to explain factors that impede the district’s mission, his remarks proved to not go over well with some members of the public who attended the meeting.
Valenzuela condemned the toxic political culture he said was producing misinformation and distracting the board from education, adding, “You’ll hear a lot of things that have no relationship to the classroom. I get bombarded by things that don’t have anything to do with ensuring high levels of learning for all.”
Several individuals who spoke during public comments said they felt slighted by Valenzula’s words, even though he did not single any particular person or political persuasion when he addressed a “toxic political culture.”
Of the district patrons who took issue with Valenzula’s presentation, all of whom identified as strongly conservative, one in particular critiqued the board in strong terms. Introduced as Miss Ross, she said she was not planning to speak but changed her mind after the superintendent report.
“I feel that the toxic political culture he is referring to is those of us that are here speaking out about our concerns,” Miss Ross asserted. “Instead of seeing us as opportunities for improvement he sees us as obstacles he must overcome… You label me as toxic then you dismiss our concerns as misinformation. That is not okay. This is why this community does not trust you – it is because you do not take our concerns seriously, you gaslight us and you dismiss us.”
Other topics brought up during public commentary included: the controversial sexual education curriculum, a suggested ban on cell phones in schools, the prospect of refusing to play sports against the teams of schools that allow transgender players, and the oft-repeated request to undo the district’s move to a four-day school week.
The district’s community partners of the month were Colton Davidson and Braden Monet, alumni of Hidden Valley High School who volunteered to paint the school’s weight room, resulting in a transformation that staff member Damien Crossen described as one of the best-looking weight rooms in the state. Travis Osborne, who has taught physical education in the weight room, said he looks forward to future opportunities for the district to partner with the painting business of these alumni.
The next TRSD board meeting will be Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 4 p.m. at North Valley High School.