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-Kherat On Her ents:

guiding their instruction. The PPS Virtual school allows for students to work at their own pace and accelerate their learning, and we anticipate it continuing to be a popular program through the rest of the pandemic and beyond • In a time of great uncertainty for many of our families, Peoria Public Schools stepped up to implement a meal distribution plan that went into effect immediately following the Governor’s stay-at-home order and provided 500,000 meals through August. Since the start of the 2020–2021 school year, we have continued to safely provide consistent nutritious meals to our families regardless of whether our students were learning remotely or in-person.

• As part of our Lights On, Peoria program, our two Justice Advocates had an immensely successful first year in supporting high school students who have become involved in the criminal justice system. • The Justice Advocates make sure each student is enrolled or re-enrolled in PPS, then creates individual success plans for each student. Our Justice Advocates serve 114 students; of those students, we saw a 10% increase in students on track to graduate—an unequivocal success in less than one years work so far. • Students in employability skills program (Lights On)— 33 (at a variety of jobs) • Students who have received either credentials or certificates:

• Peoria Public Schools applied for and secured almost $1.3 million in grant funding for two student/youth employment programs. The summer youth employment program assisted hundreds of PPS students and recent graduates to secure employment and paychecks during a nationwide recession due to the pandemic while also providing staffing for struggling local business and organizations at no cost to the employer. The Summer Youth Employment program placed so many students in jobs that Governor Pritzker held a press conference at Manual High School in July to tout the success of the program • Through our partnerships with the Governor, state legislators, social service agencies, and faith-based organizations, PPS leveraged financial and material resources to serve our students, families and staff in innovative ways to problem solve challenges presented by the pandemic • Our Woodruff Career and Technical Center continues to be a leading career and tech program in the state, providing PPS students with opportunities to earn certifications, dual credit in technical programs AND pursue internships that count for high school credit. These internships allow our students to earn valuable employability skills during the school day while also providing an opportunity for students to earn a paycheck. Last year, 150 PPS high school students participated in an internship program for credit.

o 2018–19: 39 o 2019–20: 69 o 2020–21: 181

• Adopting our Black History 365 curriculum this summer is one of my greatest successes. The work began on adopting a new black history more than a year ago and gained even more poignancy after the death of George Floyd this past summer. We are proud to begin teaching this curriculum starting Fall 2021 following staff training.

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