The District 150 School Board voted to sell two buildings to Peoria County. Peoria Public Radio’s Alex Rusciano reports its the district’s contribution to help Quest Charter Academy expand:

The School Board unanimously approved selling the former Loucks and Columbia buildings to Peoria County for 150-thousand-dollars each.  Peoria County plans to transfer the property to Quest as part of a loan deal. The Charter school will use the Columbia building when it expands next school year adding a high school class.  Some question why the district is supporting the charter school by selling the buildings below market value. Superintendent Grenita Lathan says it’s in the districts best interest to offer parents academic choices:

“By the district authorizing two years ago for a charter school to be added, on the initial agreement it was discussed they would add a high school at the end of the two year period,” Lathan says.

“So once again those are children that have stayed in the district, those parents did not move out of the district to outlaying districts.”

In other business school officials say the district saved more than 800-thousand-dollars in transportation costs the first semester this school year compared to the same time a year ago.