The Dixon School Board approved an agreement Wednesday to hire the Illinois Association of School Boards to conduct its search for a new superintendent. The board has agreed to pay an $8,400 fee for the services and the search process is set to begin in June 2025.

The Dixon School Board approved five new hires, one resignation and one retirement during Wednesday night’s school board meeting.

Lucas Hacker will attend Illinois State University, where he will study business administration. He hopes to then get a job as a financial adviser.

In less than 24 hours, Jefferson Elementary School’s lunch debt, which stood at $1,168, has been paid off through a donation campaign organized by the mother of a third-grade student.

Patrick Riley plans to attend Saint Louis University to study biomedical engineering and pre-law on his way to earning his law degree and doctorate.

A Dixon mom of a third grader at Jefferson Elementary is leading a fundraiser with the goal of wiping out student lunch debt at the school.

Stephanie McLean is a registered nurse and an American Heart Association-certified CPR and first-aid instructor who previously worked for KSB Hospital in Dixon. She teaches people how to save a life, one class at a time.

After graduation, Quinton Leffelman plans to stay at home and work on the family farm with his dad and uncle or possibly attend a trade school.

More than 587 students earned their bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Northern Illinois University.