Will Elmhurst D-205 Pay Equity Firm In Perpetuity?

ELMHURST, IL – The Elmhurst school board this week renewed a contract with consultants who are pushing for "equitable access" to Advanced Placement courses.

Seattle-based Equal Opportunity Schools is set to get $24,400 next school year.

Board member Jim Collins voted for approval, but questioned how long the district would need the firm.

"Is there a point where this just becomes the culture of York High School or are we going to be paying these consulting fees in perpetuity?" Collins asked.

Associate Superintendent Scott Grens said the school was learning many "tricks of the trade" from the consultants.

"I could see a gradual release here, but I think we need a little bit more time to make it our own," he said. "I think (Equal Opportunity Schools) might work themselves out of a job."

Collins said he understood the board was hiring the firm to bring about culture change.

"But I encourage you to develop a plan and a timeline, at which point we've worked to change the culture to the point where this is ingrained in the soul of the school and we don't need to keep paying consulting fees," he said.

Member Karen Stuefen said she liked the idea of encouraging students to enroll in advanced classes. For a time, she said, York recommended lower-level classes for some students.

"I don't think that is the right approach," she said. "I think the students will achieve what we present to them... And we'll have more people at the AP level."

The vote was unanimous.

The board is hiring the consultants to increase the number of students of color and low-income students taking AP classes, according to an Elmhurst School District 205 memo.

Last fall, York, with the help of Equal Opportunity Schools, identified 368 students as potential candidates for advanced coursework but who had no experience with AP, the district memo said.

The district held an event with about 250 potential first-time AP students.

Of the targeted students, 140 students took AP courses this school year. Next year, 179 are slated to do advanced coursework.

In the 2020-2021 school year, nearly 50 percent of York's students took one or more AP classes, according to the Illinois Report Card. Among low-income students, about 18 percent of students were enrolled in such classes.