Dixon school board selects names for Nachusa property, school

DIXON – The Dixon school board formally selected the names of the district’s therapeutic day school set to open next fall and the grounds on which the school sits.

The board Wednesday night chose Thomas J. Dempsey Therapeutic Day School as the school’s name and the Shippert Campus as the new name of the land that until this point was commonly known as the Nachusa Campus. Dempsey was a special education teacher and principal of the former Nachusa Campus. Mary Shippert, a Nachusa woman, donated the property to the Lutheran church and it was used for development of an orphanage that was chartered in 1903 and opened a year later.

The property, which is on Illinois 38 and bought by the district from Lutheran Social Services of Illinois for $300,000 in August, is undergoing changes to turn it into the therapeutic day school. Plans call for it to be open in fall 2024 to provide special-education students with a small classroom setting, a high staff-to-student ratio and comprehensive treatment for mental health and behavioral issues that occur throughout the school day.

In a memo to the Dixon School Board, Superintendent Margo Empen wrote that the administrative team has been meeting monthly to review the ongoing progress at the campus and to plan for the future. Over the next few months, there will be decisions and action items needed from the board, she wrote.

In November and December, the administration will meet to finalize programming for the school that will affect facility development, technology and supply purchases, and the determination of resources including staffing numbers, Empen wrote. The goal is to bring updates on programming, facilities, supplies, resources and staffing to the board in December.

Concerning facilities, Empen wrote that administration will be working with the building architects this month to prepare bid specs for electrical service, HVAC and fire alarm systems. The goal is for the bid process to begin in November and for the board to take action on bid awards at the December meeting. In December, the administration will have updated drawings of the facilities that will show the layout of rooms, offices and washrooms, as well as a general overview of the facility.

Additionally, she wrote, the administration will meet with furniture representatives in December to begin a process of furnishing classrooms and offices. Purchases of furniture over the bid threshold will require a bid process. It is the hope that these decisions are completed so furniture can be ordered by March 1, Empen wrote.

She wrote that plans call for the installation of a full surveillance camera system, with secure entry and internet planning underway.

Administration also is preparing for the hiring process and has started contacting regional university education programs, Empen wrote. In December, any updates and approvals to job descriptions will be brought to the board for action. Staffing numbers and job postings will take place shortly after those are updated. Ultimately, it is the goal to hire staff as early as possible.

The district had been talking for several years about bringing students who need therapeutic day services onto a Dixon-based campus. Students currently are being sent to locations that include the Quad Cities, Rockford and Loves Park. In March, 54 Dixon students were traveling to other locations for their education, Empen said, adding that the students could not be served here because the required programming is not available and there is not enough room in Dixon school facilities unless portable classrooms are used or extra classrooms are added.

The district will use the Capital Projects Fund, with revenue coming from the 1% countywide facility sales tax, to cover the costs of the new day school. LSSI will continue offering services in a couple of buildings on the campus and will pay rent to the school district. The district paid $300,000 for the property and anticipates spending about $2 million over the next five years to make needed repairs, Empen said in August.

As for its name, submissions gathered through a survey were given to Dixon School District staff members and included in September’s school board meeting agenda. That list included Dixon Therapeutic Day School, Dixon Building Block Academy, a presidential name – such as Grant, Franklin Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt or Gerald Ford – and Dempsey Education Center in honor of the late Thomas Dempsey, a former special education teacher and principal of the former Nachusa Campus. Of the many other names submitted, some included Nachusa since that name has a recognizable connection to the property.

Empen said the name would have to be selected by spring 2024 so it could be placed on the Illinois State Board of Education’s roster.