Raef, president and longtime member of the Bourbonnais Elementary School Board, died Tuesday, Jan. 13, at Riverside Medical Center. She was 69.

The Bourbonnais Elementary School District is asking for just over $18 million for its 2025 tax levy, an increase of 4.99%.

Local school districts have begun delving into the student achievement data reported on the 2024-25 Illinois School Report Card, including Bourbonnais, Bradley and Kankakee schools.

Search our table to see what designation your Kankakee County school received on the 2025 school report card.

Liberty Intermediate School was one of 28 schools across the state to be recognized for exemplary academic performance through the Illinois Governor’s Blue Ribbon Schools program.

Cooper Freedlund celebrated reaching the end of chemotherapy, while his parents, Gary and Jamie, have been on a journey of their own as they navigated having a sick child - a topic they are uniquely familiar with through their nonprofit, Mattea’s Joy.

Schools in Will and Kankakee counties react to series of bus vandalism incidents with increased security measures for their vehicle fleets, while law enforcement continues investigations.

Schools in Will and Kankakee counties react to series of bus vandalism incidents with increased security measures for their vehicle fleets, while law enforcement continues investigations.

Bourbonnais Elementary students are back in class today after an incident involving the theft of catalytic converters from its buses caused school cancellation Thursday.

UPDATE: Bourbonnais Elementary School District officials are actively working to restore transportation and resume school as soon as possible after 21 buses were damaged this morning in a theft of catalytic converters.

UPDATE: Classes were canceled today for Bourbonnais Elementary District students following the theft of the catalytic converters from the buses.

Fredda Rodewald on if students should be able to use AI in their schoolwork: There is a time and place for the use of AI. The appropriate time would be determined by the administration and teachers

Bourbonnais Elementary School District will be using advertising revenue from an electronic billboard in Bourbonnais Upper Grade Center to upgrade the school's gymnasium.

Erika Young on top priorities for the district: I believe are the top 3 issues our district is facing are growing classroom sizes, teacher recruitment and bus transportation.

Stephan Moulton on a top issue for the district: Spacing, we are growing at a rapid pace and finding space within our aging buildings is difficulty.

Betsy Keller: Teacher shortages are costly to students and the district. Conversely, by retaining and recruiting teachers the district can have several benefits

Jamie Freedlund: My role as a board member is to support the smart and insightful decisions that our successful administrators and educators are making while bringing in community input to those conversations

Kevin Haberzetle on a top issue for the district: There is overcrowding in our lower grades preventing children from getting adequate lunch and recess times. Our Children need to be allowed to exert more energy through out the day.

Bourbonnais Elementary School District's transportation director Scott Austin gave an update Tuesday on how the district is working to streamline bus stops and communicate changes to families.

Bourbonnais Elementary School district listed as one of 100 U.S. school districts to be performing above pre-pandemic levels in both math and reading on the Education Recovery Scorecard.

The new assistant superintendent of Bourbonnais Elementary School District 53 is a familiar face

Since the summer of 2021, Bradley resident Rochelle Langlois has battled Stage 4 cancer everywhere from her lungs, spine, adrenal glands, brain, bone and liver

With several contested school board races on the ballot, Kankakee County will almost certainly see some new faces making decisions on local educational matters following the April 1 consolidated election

In Bradley and Bourbonnais, there has been some celebrating of positive feedback from the state’s annual designations as well as digging into chronic absenteeism and other areas in need of improvement