Full-Day Kindergarten At District 41: Feasibility Study Ordered

GLEN ELLYN, IL — Amid ongoing demand to bring a full-day kindergarten option to Glen Ellyn District 41, the district's board of education has ordered a firm to propose a comprehensive master facilities plan that includes a feasibility study focused on adding all-day kindergarten classes.

Board members authorized the hiring of Wight and Company, a Chicago-based architectural design firm, to formulate the proposal, which will be reviewed at the upcoming board of education meeting on Feb. 21.

In November, District 41 presented voters with a $49 million bond referendum question with the aim of constructing a new school building on the former site of Spalding School and expanding Churchill Elementary School with an early learning center. The proposed bond also sought to fund changes to allow for full-day kindergarten.

The majority of voters did not favor the bond referendum.

District 41 had also planned to use its $18 million in fund reserves to cover the $67 million price tag for those developments. In a letter to community members Board President Dr. Robert Bruno explained that the board "work within our Board policy to determine the appropriate use of these funds to make a significant impact on students."

Bruno also wrote, "[W]e recognize the community’s desire to bring a full-day kindergarten program to the district and that we still have space challenges to address. We remain committed to finding viable solutions that are in the best educational interests of our children."