Another Unit 4 Official Leaving for East St. Louis

The third Champaign School District official in the last few months is leaving for a job with the East St. Louis School District.

Unit 4 spokeswomen Beth Sheppard said she is following former superintendent Arthur Culver, who is now the school chief in East St. Louis. Unit 4 Deputy Superintendent Dorland Norris also announced her plans last week to take a job there. Both Norris and Sheppard followed Culver to Champaign about 10 years ago from Texas

Sheppard said she is excited about helping confront some of the challenges students there face.

"It's a district that obviously has a lot of needs right now," Sheppard said. "There is state intervention. There are financial issues. There's a lot of work to be done, and it's an exciting challenge if you're a person who thrives on doing things that others think cannot be done. It's a great opportunity."

Sheppard's last day with the district will be Nov. 4.

Champaign School Board President Sue Grey said she is confident the school district will be able to move forward by filling these positions.

"I would hope that we don't lose anybody further because there's a lot of work to be done at Unit 4," Grey said. "We're a busy district, and we have a lot of kids to take care of. We can't afford to let things fall through the cracks."

A search is underway for a new Champaign school superintendent, who will succeed Arthur Culver. With an Oct. 28 deadline to apply for that job, the school district plans to begin interviewing finalists in November and December.