BDR3 Delayed For a Year: District 112 Postpones Plan to Close Schools, Layoff Teachers

HIGHLAND PARK, IL - The plan to reduce a financial deficit in North Shore School District 112 by eliminating teacher positions and closing four area schools has been delayed.

The decision was made during Tuesday night's school board meeting. The local Citizens Actively Renewing Education group was the first to announce the news mid-meeting on Facebook.

Several spoke during the public comment session of the meeting applauding the board for its decision to delay.

"Wow. Holy Cow. Thank you," said Highland Park resident Josh Weisbart.

“Thank you for changing your mind and altering your position,” Weisbart said. “Many people across the community are happy with the decision.”

Also on Patch: NSSD 112 Superintendent to Lead School District with Star Studded Alumni

Dan Jenks, a candidate for school board in 2017, also applauded the decision.

"It was the prudent thing to do and the right thing to do for the community," he said.

Mayor Nancy Rotering also weighed in on the decision Tuesday night on behalf of the city of Highland Park.

"We appreciate NSSD 112’s decision to slow down its implementation of this major decision to enable more consideration and collaboration for the good of our community," she wrote in an email.

The plan to implement BDR3 came earlier this year in the event that voters turned down a $198 million bond issue that would have created a single middle school campus in the district, which they did.

The school closing plan had called for the closure of Elm Place, Ravinia, Green Bay and Lincoln schools.

Check back here for more details as they come in.