Boundaries, Feeder Schools Remain Unchanged In Updated D-112 Plan

HIGHLAND PARK, IL — North Shore School District 112 Superintendent Mike Lubelfeld has adjusted his long-term planning recommendations to eliminate some of the more unpopular elements of his suggestions for the future of the district. Since taking the superintendent post this summer, Lubelfeld has convened an ad hoc committee to present recommendations to the board for the decade ahead.

In the latest update to the committee's draft recommendations, presented at a facilities and finance committee hearing Tuesday, Lubelfeld withdrew an idea for changing catchment zones to address enrollment gaps and assured the board feeder schools would remain unchanged for both district middle schools.

Lubelfeld said he had taken criticism of his suggestion of optional boundaries to heart and removed it from the draft recommendation. He said he was more interested in getting the process right than being right himself. Lubelfeld noted the whole community wants to have good schools contributing to their property value.

"The optional area boundaries were not met with any support to be absolutely honest with you. People thought it was nefarious or secretive or dumb," Lubelfeld said. "People thought, 'If you're going to do boundaries, do boundaries, if you're not going to do boundaries don't do boundaries. We already have a policy on transfers. Deal with it that way.'"

The superintendent had floated the idea of giving some students at Indian Trail and Sherwood the choice of attending Wayne Thomas. Another optional catchment area in south Highland Park would have allowed students currently in Indian Trail's attendance zone to attend Ravinia or Braeside elementary schools.

"It confused people, it upset people and it really didn't accomplish anything in terms of hard numbers," Lubelfeld said. "I liked it. I thought it was a good idea, I came up with it."

The latest update to the plan also scraps a suggestion to send students from Red Oak Elementary to Edgewood instead of Northwood, which would exacerbate exacerbating size differences between the schools. By the 2021-22 school year, Edgewood would have 826 students compared to just 390 at Northwood. Without the suggested change, the projected difference in attendance would be just 200 students in 2021-22.

To pay for $75 million in planned facility improvements to the district's middle schools, the recommendations suggest issuing $55 million in alternative revenue bonds to pay for improvements to both its middle schools over the coming years. The remaining $20 million would consist of about 40 percent of the operating fund balance. Some revenue may also be generated by the sale of some district-owned assets, such as the administrative offices and early childhood development program at 1936 Green Bay Road.

Both middle schools will receive upgrades in the first phase of the plan. A $40 million renovation at Northwood will expand the campus for up to 600 students, while Edgewood will get $35 million in investments to allow it to handle 950 students, according to Lubelfeld.

The superintendent emphasized the plan would not raise taxes on residents. The bond issue would not require a referendum. The debt service would be covered out of operating funds over 20 years at a rate of $4 million a year. Construction would start with Northwood, with bidding by the end of May 2019 and work beginning September 2019. Students would be relocated to Elm Place until work is completed during the 2020-21 school year.

Lubelfeld said part of the reason past boards were unable to fix issues confronted by the district over the past 25 years is because of the geographic disparity of the schools.

"We can't continue to be paralyzed by all the 'what-ifs.' It's totally not helping the community or the school district. You guys have in your capacity the capacity to lead, you also have in your capacity the ability to make good, legitimate decisions," Lubelfeld said. "And you also have in your capacity, for the first time in probably 15, 20 years, the money to do it."

A long-range plan is set to be recommended for approval by the board at its Nov. 27 meeting.

Earlier:

• $75 Million In NSSD-112 Middle School Improvements Recommended
• Two Schools To Close Under $83 Million Reconfiguration Proposal
• District 112 Revises Draft Future Boundary Maps, Reconfiguration
• North Shore School District 112 Exploring Selling Unused Assets, Combining Schools

Watch: North Shore School District 112 Facilities and Finance Committee Meeting Oct. 30