For two hours, I traded my reporter’s notebook for a chalkboard slate
•September 23, 2026•

by Ariana R. Cherry

For a few hours on Saturday, Sept. 12, an old schoolhouse became a classroom again — and I became one of its students. I arrived at the Illinois Amish Heritage Center expecting to learn about Amish education. I didn’t realize quite how literally that would happen.

Inside the historic Miller Amish German School, about 15 to 20 of us gathered in the small classroom, including visitors and local Amish residents who would lead us through the experience. At the front of the room was Sharon Miller, who had once been an Amish schoolteacher herself.

Before long, I had a chalkboard slate in my hands. And then school began. We started with German, learning the alphabet and hearing the familiar “ABC” song sung in a language that has played an important role in Amish faith and education for generations. We heard the Lord’s Prayer in German and listened as German songs filled the little schoolhouse. Then came spelling. Reading. And math. I found myself working with Roman numerals and subtracting fractions — subjects I hadn’t exactly expected to encounter when I walked through the schoolhouse door that morning. We read aloud, too. One of our stories was about a little girl determined to sew a doll by herself. Her determination didn’t end particularly well when she got a needle stuck in her finger. Beneath the simple story was a familiar lesson: sometimes patience — and listening to your parents — really is the better choice.

•September 23, 2026•

by Jamie Crosier

The Sullivan Community Unit School District 300 Board of Education adopted its 2026-27 budget Monday, Sept. 14, with district officials reporting a balanced overall budget despite declining state and federal funding and rising transportation costs.

Superintendent Dr. Ted Walk said the final budget remains very similar to the tentative version presented in July, with only minor adjustments. While some individual funds are expected to operate at a deficit this year, he said those decreases are planned, including spending connected to previously scheduled capital projects.

Walk said the district has maintained balanced budgets for the past 10 years, but future budgets may require additional discussion as revenues tighten.

State and federal funding received by the district declined last year and is expected to be lower again this year. Transportation is one area creating additional pressure. State transportation funding has remained relatively flat while districts’ actual costs continue to increase.