Beecher 200U Renews Three-Year Agreement with Peace Lutheran Church for Classroom Space

Beecher Community Unit School District 200-U Meeting | May 13, 2026

Article Summary: The Beecher Community Unit School District 200-U Board of Education on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, unanimously approved a renewed agreement with Peace Lutheran Church under which the district leases space for student programming. The new three-year deal continues an existing arrangement and includes assistance with church facility upkeep, including seal coating.

Peace Lutheran Agreement Key Points:

• Three-year facility use agreement approved unanimously.
• District uses four classrooms at the Peace Lutheran Church campus.
• Church remains responsible for building maintenance; district handles cleaning of its rooms, the playground, and sidewalk snow removal.
• Agreement includes district contribution toward seal coating of the church property.

BEECHER — The Beecher Community Unit School District 200-U Board of Education on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, unanimously approved a three-year facility use agreement with Peace Lutheran Church, extending an existing partnership that provides the district with additional classroom space.

The agreement was approved as submitted in the board packet, without amendment. Under the deal, the district will continue to use four classrooms at the church campus to support its instructional programming.

Superintendent Dr. Jack Gaham described the arrangement as one that has worked smoothly in past years. He told the board that Peace Lutheran Church handles “all the building maintenance,” while district staff are responsible for cleaning the rooms the district occupies and addressing minor issues that arise.

“We do the small things,” Gaham said, citing a recent example in which a Gallagher safety assessment flagged an emergency light that needed attention. He said he forwarded the concern to the church and the issue was resolved promptly.

The district is also responsible for maintaining the playground, including last year’s mulch refresh, and clears the sidewalk during snow events using its own custodial staff. The church handles snow removal elsewhere on the property.

A new element of the three-year agreement is district assistance with seal coating of the church’s pavement. Gaham said the church requested help with that maintenance need, and the cost is bundled into the overall package. He emphasized that the agreement’s financial commitment is fixed for the term. “There’s no like, okay, we give them the money that does the seal coating and then in a year and a half … now we want to do this. Can you pay more? That will not happen,” he said.

Asked whether the district could add additional classroom space at the church if enrollment shifts required it, Gaham said the agreement could be amended through a memorandum of understanding if the need arose. “Absolutely,” he said. “They do all the building maintenance.”

Gaham characterized the agreement’s pricing as favorable to the district given the alternative of constructing additional district-owned classroom space. “Building a building [is] a heck of a lot more than $20,000,” he told the board.

Background

Peace Lutheran Church has been a longstanding facility partner for the school district, providing space the district uses to support its student programming. Earlier in the meeting, the church was also mentioned as one of two off-site locations — along with Faith Church — used to host the high school’s Advanced Placement testing in early May.