Darien Candidate Opposes D86 Boundary Change

DARIEN, IL – Asma Akhras, the only Hinsdale High School District 86 board candidate from the Hinsdale South zone, is opposed to changing the boundary between South and Central high schools.

She holds this position despite many South residents who favor shifting the line as a way of equalizing course offerings between the two schools. With an enrollment nearly twice the size of South's, Central has a considerably greater selection of courses.

During public comments at last week's board meeting, Akhras said changing the boundary between the two schools is not a viable option, though she did not explain why. Patch asked her for her reason.

"Population shifts change throughout time," the Darien resident said in an email. "Boundary changes do not offer a long-term solution to fluctuations in student attendance and cause disruptions to many families."

Akhras said she would work with other board members to understand the dynamics fully, putting academic opportunities and creative solutions "that put access for all of our students at the forefront."

"As the only candidate from the Hinsdale South area, I will bring an important perspective and look forward to serving the entire community," Akhras said. "I am confident that with a new superintendent, a new 5-year strategic plan that includes quantitative measurable data, a School Improvement Plan for each school focusing on growth, we will be heading in the right direction!"

Central homeowners fear their property values would fall if they were included in the South area. The board's current majority and minority disagree on a number of topics, but a boundary change isn't one of them.

Over the last few years, though, members from the South have occasionally brought it up. Cynthia Hanson is one of them. At one point, she expressed frustration that her colleagues "danced around" the issue.

Former school board President Kevin Camden rarely mentioned the issue. But in his candidate questionnaire in 2021, he said he was open to changing the attendance boundary if it provided greater curriculum alignment. Camden lost his re-election.

In that election, candidate Justin Baron of Darien was the only other candidate to express openness to a boundary change. He said the current zones were set up for Central to be overcrowded and South to be underused. He, too, lost.

Hanson decided against running again this year. If Akhras loses, all seven board members would be from the Central zone.

The election is April 4.