Committees Formed to Help Make Reconfiguration Work in District 112

The following letter was written to the North Shore School District 112 community from the Reconfiguration 2.0 Community Team.

Dear D112 Community,

We are the Reconfiguration 2.0 Community Team. We are writing to let you our neighbors and friends know why we formed, who we are, what we’ve been working on, and where we expect to go from here.

First, let us tell you why our group was formed. District Superintendent Michael Bregy called for the formation of a citizens’ committee after the March 2016 referendum to reconfigure NSSD112, which did not gain community support.

Second, let us tell you who we are. The Reconfiguration 2.0 Community Team consists of 31 people who were both for and against the previous referendum. We are working together to help develop plans that will meet the needs of the entire community. Most importantly, we are members of this community, just like you, and it is our main goal to develop a reconfiguration plan that has community support, maintains our excellent educational quality, and understands community concerns including the role of neighborhood schools, and concerns about cost, property values, traffic, etc. that any viable plan must address.

Third, let us tell you what we’ve been working on. Many of you may already know about the two­-day working session we had in late June. The entire team met over the course of two 12­-hour days (yes, 24 hours!). We reviewed much of the work that led to the previous referendum, and we reviewed the results of a June 2016 community survey in order to better understand what issues are most important to you.

We also discussed a few starting scenarios that might allow us to investigate alternate configurations that will meet the needs of our children and our community. Since that initial working session, we have established four committees that are now working on solutions:

● Education: This group is responsible for evaluating the educational aspects of all potential configurations.

● Finance: This group is responsible for understanding the financial standing of the district and the impact of various reconfiguration options on our finances.

● Facilities: This group is responsible for understanding the needs, requirements and constraints of facilities.

● Communications: This group is responsible for seeking community input and keeping the community informed.

Finally, let us tell you where we expect to go from here. We will soon announce a series of meetings and community engagement opportunities, and we plan to be at many of the events that happen in the community so we can hear directly from you.

There are many ways to stay informed. We invite you to join the Reconfiguration 2.0 Community Team Facebook page. You can ask questions of us directly, and we promise to answer you in a timely fashion with open, objective, and fact-­based answers.

You can also obtain information and updates at our website (112information.org), which is also where all of our minutes are housed. That page includes a link to “Let’s Talk,” where you can send a question or comment directly to the 2.0 Community Team.

As we work through this process, we promise to be open and transparent with you. This means that we will share minutes from all our meetings, look to you for feedback on reconfiguration options, answer questions you may have along the way, and listen to your concerns as they arise.

Thank you in advance for your input. We need to hear from you so that we can develop a plan that addresses the most important concerns...yours!

Sincerely,

Your Neighbors on the Reconfiguration 2.0 Community Team