PEORIA (25News Now) – ELITE Community Outreach is preparing for its next chapter after Peoria Public Schools voted to end its partnership with the organization’s Game Changer Safe School program, with plans for a new community center and potential partnerships with other school districts.
Meanwhile, Peoria Public Schools Board President Dr. Paris McConnell, who voted against replacing ELITE, is raising questions about the district’s plans to launch NOVA Academy in January.
The school board voted 4-3 Monday to move forward with the district-operated program, ending a partnership that has served students facing behavioral and disciplinary challenges for nearly five years.
ELITE founder and CEO Carl Cannon says the vote will not stop the organization’s work in Peoria.
“We are not going away. We’re going to double down on doing the greater good. And that’s for our community,” Cannon said.
ELITE plans community center on Hospital Hill
Cannon told 25News that ELITE plans to renovate its building on Peoria’s Hospital Hill into a community center serving both children and adults.
He said the organization has received approximately $500,000 in funding from the State of Illinois to support the project, although the timing and distribution of those funds remain unclear.
ELITE also plans to raise additional money through fundraising efforts.
“We got a little money. We’re gonna put it to work, renovate, and make it a community center for adults and children,” Cannon said.
A timeline for opening the center has not been established. Cannon said the organization’s board would meet to discuss its next steps.
He also revealed that other school districts have expressed interest in partnering with ELITE to bring the Game Changer model to their communities.
Cannon declined to identify those districts or say whether any formal agreements are being considered.
Although ELITE’s current safe school partnership with PPS is ending, Cannon said the organization intends to maintain relationships with the students and families it has served.
“The Game Changers have a relationship with them. We’re going to maintain that relationship and grow it with families and those children,” he said.
Cannon says ELITE was not given enough time to correct compliance issues
The district’s decision follows a compliance review by the Peoria County Regional Office of Education that identified several concerns with the Game Changer program.
Regional Superintendent George McKenna previously told 25News that the review identified issues involving student transportation, social-emotional learning services, individualized student education plans and the tracking of student outcomes.
Among the concerns was ELITE’s use of vans for school-related student transportation that did not meet applicable requirements.
However, McKenna emphasized that his office never recommended ending the district’s partnership with ELITE. He said compliance findings can often be corrected.
Cannon maintains that ELITE was not given a fair opportunity to address the concerns before the board voted to move forward with NOVA.
“I don’t think so. No, we weren’t. Had we been given the opportunity, you could come back, do an audit again today. Most of those findings are gone,” Cannon said.
Cannon said ELITE has since addressed concerns involving individualized education plans and social-emotional learning. He also said the organization has obtained a bus and is working to meet transportation and driver requirements.
Those corrective actions have not been independently verified by 25News.
According to Cannon, the recent review was the first formal compliance review ELITE had undergone in nearly five years.
He said the organization had worked with district liaisons throughout its partnership but had not previously been informed of several of the problems identified.
“We have had a liaison from Peoria Public Schools from the very beginning and not once have we ever been told that we are out of compliance anywhere,” Cannon said.
McKenna previously acknowledged that his office had not conducted earlier compliance reviews of the program and described uncertainty about oversight responsibilities between the regional office and the district.
He also noted that ELITE cooperated with the review and that its academic curriculum aligned with state standards.
McConnell was among three school board members who voted against replacing ELITE.
She said she supports the idea of NOVA Academy providing additional certified teachers but believes the district should have worked to combine that academic support with ELITE’s existing behavioral intervention and mentorship services.
“What I had hoped for, this was my recommendation, to our leadership team was to merge them too,” McConnell said.
She explained that a gradual transition could have allowed the district to strengthen academic instruction while maintaining relationships between ELITE staff, students and families.
McConnell said she was particularly concerned about losing services such as home visits, direct communication with parents and individualized behavioral support.
She also questioned whether NOVA would be able to provide the same level of outreach.
“We’ve only been given a PowerPoint and an outline of what this new academy is going to look like,” McConnell said.
According to McConnell, NOVA is expected to include three certified teachers and additional classroom support staff.
She said those additions could benefit students academically, but she believes the district still needs to explain how the new program will address the behavioral and family challenges that brought students to ELITE in the first place.
Cannon expressed similar concerns, questioning who would conduct home visits, maintain contact with families, and follow up with students after they return to their home schools.
McConnell said NOVA Academy’s projected operating cost is approximately $700,000, although she has not seen a final budget that accounts for all expenses, including transportation.
She estimated that the district previously spent approximately $640,000 on its partnership with ELITE, which included transportation and staffing. ELITE also received funding from other sources.
Because NOVA’s final expenses have not been established, the two figures do not provide a complete cost comparison.
McConnell said the board has not received a fully developed operating plan outlining all staffing positions, transportation arrangements and performance measures.
She also said she could not confirm who would serve as NOVA Academy’s director.
The board president emphasized that the recommendation to replace ELITE came from district administration, rather than the Regional Office of Education.
“Our administration team. It’s their authority. This Nova concept is their idea. They brought that forward. So the leadership is accountable,” McConnell said.
McConnell said the school board will also be responsible for monitoring the program and ensuring district leadership provides updates.
She expects the district to publicly report on NOVA’s performance, although a timeline for those reports has not been established.
“What their plan is, I’ve heard a concept of a plan. But it’s not a plan to me until I have concrete, measurable benchmarks that I can identify and support,” she said.
ELITE’s current partnership is expected to end in December, with NOVA Academy scheduled to begin operating at Trewyn School in January 2027.
McConnell said she hopes the district will provide a more complete plan before the transition, particularly concerning transportation, staffing, student support and the continuation of family outreach services.
Cannon said ELITE remains open to working with Peoria Public Schools again in the future.
“We’ve always kept that door open throughout this process. We haven’t closed the door,” he said.
25News reached out to both PPS Superintendent Dr. Jerry Bell and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Andrews requesting comment on the decision to replace ELITE, the district’s oversight of the program, NOVA’s projected costs and plans to support students during the transition.
Neither had responded as of publication.
Despite their disagreement with the decision, both Cannon and McConnell said they want students to continue receiving the support they need.
McConnell said the board expects public updates on NOVA’s progress as the district prepares to launch the new program.
Comments