Should Ravinia School Remain Open?

HIGHLAND PARK, IL - The most popular idea among members of the District 112 Reconfiguration 2.0 committee involves pairing Ravinia and Braeside schools and keeping them open.

Another plan calls to “retire” the schools and construct a new elementary school that could hold more than two sections per grade in southeast Highland Park.

Under the pairing idea, the two schools would be broken up to K-2 and 3-5 institutions although the K-5 model would remain in place for the rest of the district, according to the Highland Park News.

But the school board still plans to close Ravinia - called by community members as a “lightning rod” - as part of its school closure plan to cut costs.

The News also reports on a perceived “southeast agenda” among committee members.

"Based on my past experience sitting here through the last referendum, optics do matter, and it looks bad," said School Board President Michael Cohn, who was among the most vocal supporters of the $198 million school referendum that received approval from less than 35 percent of District 112 voters in March.