D21 to pause redistricting efforts

The Community Consolidated School District 21 Board of Education’s Committee of the Whole on Thursday, Sept. 24, recommended pausing the district’s attendance boundary redesign process, meaning no boundary changes would be implemented for the 2027-28 school year.

The recommendation follows a review of current enrollment data, facility utilization and the work completed over the past several months by the D21 Map Design Committee, with support from the district’s partners at Woolpert.

The Map Design Committee was formed to help develop a district map that best serves students while considering enrollment, building capacity and the geographic distribution of students across the district. Over the past year, committee members reviewed enrollment trends and projections, considered community feedback and explored potential approaches to attendance boundaries.

As the 2026-27 school year began, however, districtwide enrollment shifted by more than 300 students from previous projections. That change has affected facility utilization across the district, including at Kilmer Elementary School, where enrollment declined by approximately 13.3% compared with the 2025-26 school year.

Overcrowding at Kilmer and the district’s reliance on modular classrooms had been among the factors driving the boundary planning process.

Board members also considered the anticipated opening of a new early childhood center, which is expected to provide additional capacity and help address some of the overcrowding and programming concerns currently experienced at several schools.

Those developments led the Committee of the Whole to recommend pausing the redistricting process rather than moving forward with consideration of potential map options and grandfathering plans.

“We want to make sure we’re making decisions based on the best information available to us, not simply reacting to projections,” Superintendent Dr. Michael Connolly said. “With the enrollment shift we’ve seen this year and the additional capacity we anticipate from the early childhood center, it makes sense to take a step back, monitor the data and make sure we understand the impact before moving forward.”

The district will continue to monitor enrollment and building capacity, with any future consideration of boundary changes taking place beyond the 2027-28 school year. District administrators also will continue to evaluate building and program needs from year to year and may consider shifting individual programs between schools when appropriate to help address changing enrollment and space needs.

Board President Jessica Riddick thanked Woolpert and the members of the Map Design Committee for their work throughout the process.

“We want to sincerely thank our partners at Woolpert for the time, expertise and effort they have invested throughout this process,” Riddick said. “From helping facilitate the work of the D21 Map Design Committee to providing the Board with information and analysis to consider, Woolpert has been a valuable partner throughout this process. We appreciate the thoughtful approach they have taken and the time they have dedicated to helping us better understand our enrollment and facility needs.”

The Committee of the Whole’s recommendation will be presented for a formal vote at the Board of Education’s October meeting.

Community engagement opportunities

As a result of the recommendation to pause the process, the district is canceling the virtual town hall scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 29. The previously planned written public comment period, scheduled for Sept. 25 through Oct. 12, also will not take place.

Community members who would like to share feedback with the district may continue to do so by emailing district21@ccsd21.org or by attending the regular meeting of the Board of Education on Thursday, Oct. 15.

While redistricting efforts are being paused, the work completed by the Map Design Committee will remain an important resource for the district. Updated enrollment information, future building capacity and the anticipated early childhood center will provide additional context if the district revisits boundary planning in the future.

The district will continue to monitor enrollment, facility utilization and program needs and will communicate with families and the community as circumstances change.