Equal Opportunities At Central And South?

HINSDALE, IL — Hinsdale High School District 86 has asked its law firm to respond to concerns that differences in enrollment between Central and South high schools have led to unequal opportunities. The firm will speak about the issue at the school board's meeting Thursday.

Residents in South's area say falling enrollment at the school since the 1990s has meant reduced opportunities compared to the wealthier Central. The board's agenda does not indicate what the firm, Arlington Heights-based Hodges, Loizzi, Eisenhammer, Rodick & Kohn LLP, will say about inequities between the schools.

The school district is a regular client of the law firm, which has billed the district nearly $200,000 for a variety of legal services over the last five months.

On Tuesday, Patch asked the board's president, Kevin Camden, what the law firm was asked to do with its presentation, including whether it was expected to defend the district's actions. Camden referred the inquiry to the school district's spokesman, Chris Jasculca, who noted the concerns parents have expressed about unequal opportunities.

A few people, Jasculca said, have referred to a provision in the state school board's administrative code: "All students within a school district must be provided equal opportunities in all education programs and services provided by the system."

"We have asked representatives from Hodges, Loizzi, Eisenhammer, Rodick & Kohn LLP to provide an overview of the various state and federal laws that deal with the issue of equal opportunities for students, and then talk about how those laws relate to the enrollment concern that has been raised," Jasculca said in an email.

In the mid-1990s,South made up nearly half of District 86's total enrollment. But since then, the proportion has steadily dropped, reaching a low of 34 percent last year. Some South parents contend the school's dwindling enrollment explains the cancellation of courses.

By the standard metrics, both schools are superior to most in the state. But Central's demographic is a lot wealthier. At South, 27 percent of students come from low-income families, far lower than the state's average of 49 percent but considerably higher than Central's 6 percent, according to the Illinois Report Card.

In a video in early March, Burr Ridge resident Alan Hruby explained why he thought District 86 shortchanged South. In the video, he said he looked at last semester's class schedules for South and Central to see which classes common to both schools' programs of study were being offered. According to his analysis, South offered just one class — Advanced Placement Music Theory — that Central did not. Central, meanwhile, offered 17 classes that South did not, including World Literature, Computer Science Topics, Etymology, AP Physics 2, Philosophy, Investment Planning, AP Macroeconomics, Invitation to Teaching and Entrepreneurial Studies.

Hruby said he looked at all the classes included in the programs of study, beyond those that are common to both schools. He counted 73 courses unique to Central and 45 unique to South.

In response at the time, the district's spokesman, Jasculca, disagreed with two of the 17 classes on the list for Central. He said South alternates between microeconomics and macroeconomics and that it offers Invitation to Teaching. He also pointed out classes unique to South, including American Sign Language 2, AP German, Advanced Woods, Anatomy and Physiology, and Humanities.

The district, Jasculca said, has actively promoted availability of classes at South, including a newspaper course, and has had to cancel them because of a lack of student interest. He said the district attributes that to the "wealth of options" already offered.

The school board's open session starts at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Hinsdale Central High School cafeteria, 5500 S. Grant St. Some or all board members may take part remotely because of the pandemic.