By Dave Dahl

SPRINGFIELD – A big blue bus (pictured) rolled up to Fairview Elementary School in Springfield Wednesday afternoon. U.S. education secretary Miguel Cardona is touring the Midwest and liked what he saw of Fairview’s after-school program.

“I talk a lot about ‘intentional collaboration.’ You get that here. When I come here (to Illinois), I always see great things happening,” Cardona told reporters after a tour. “Today, for the after-school program, I see the Youth of 21st Century federal dollars, American Rescue Plan dollars, state and local funding to create an after-school program for students, so they can get more. Because if we do what we’ve done, we will get what we’ve gotten, and our students need more.”

For those who remember school as being in a classroom with a teacher from 9am to 3pm and nothing else, Fairview principal Patricia Nikson says, “Instead of more, it’s what is needed. It’s what parents are asking for. It’s really partnering with lots of different resources that are in our city. It’s not just Fairview staff. It’s not just Springfield Public Schools. It is a whole community together.”

Dave Dahl can be reached at [email protected]