No Longer An Elmhurst Neighborhood School?

ELMHURST, IL — Some Elmhurst School District 205 board members said this week they are concerned a proposal could mean a local elementary may longer be considered a neighborhood school.

At Tuesday's meeting, the board heard a plan where a gifted program could be based in Conrad Fischer Elementary School, which is on the city's north side. Most of the rest of the space would be used for the district's dual-language program, where students are immersed in Spanish and English. This may mean little space is left for neighborhood students whose families choose conventional classes.

Of Elmhurst's eight elementary schools, Fischer has the greatest percentage of students from low-income families, at 58 percent, according to state data. The other schools range from 2 percent to 9 percent. Fischer is also the only one north of Interstate 290.

Superintendent Dave Moyer said Fischer was the best option for the gifted, or magnet, program.

However, school board member Jim Collins said district officials have heard "loud and clear" that parents like their neighborhood schools.

"It sounds like we're taking one away," he said. "I just ask that you work closely and listen closely to the Fischer neighborhood, so that we're not taking something away from them that they cherish."

Moyer was asked whether the dual-language program, which has grown more quickly than expected, could be at more than one school. The superintendent said the native Spanish-speaking students in the program are primarily in Fischer's area.

"You can't do one on the south side and the north side, having a dual-language immersion program, without busing a lot of native Spanish-speaking students across town," he said.

Board member Margaret Harrell agreed with Collins on the need for public input and advised the district "be prepared to pivot and respond to the feedback we get."

Board member Courtenae Trautmann also expressed concerns about the removal of a neighborhood school.

"I don't want Conrad Fischer families to feel like they have to go somewhere else. That is troubling to me," she said. "I feel like they are almost like a second thought. If they are not dual-language or magnet, they have to go somewhere else."

The dual-language program is now for kindergarten through second grades. Next year, the district plans to expand it to third grade.

The board made no decisions on the proposal at its meeting.