D122 to Consolidate Kindergarten to Spencer Trail

Because of stagnant enrollment in New Lenox classes, District 122 will consolidate all kindergarten students into and use as an early childhood center.

The district announced these changes during its Wednesday meeting, and they are planned to take effect with the 2012-13 school year.

Currently, both schools are only about half full with district students. But Spencer houses other programs, including Project Begin and Early Childhood, and for the first time this year the district .

In this scenario, all kindergarten students will go to school at Spencer Trail. Associate Supt. Peggy Manville said there will still be four open classrooms at Spencer Trail, one of which will be used for office space.

Cherry Hill will be renamed the Cherry Hill Early Childhood Center and will have six to eight open classrooms, allowing the possibility for more rental space for District 843, which paid nearly $170,000 to District 122 this year. If the special education district rented more space, it would pay more money.

"We feel this is a very positive thing to have all our kindergarteners under one roof again," Manville said. "We think that’s the best delivery of services."

Last year, Supt. Mike Sass said because it wouldn't be able to fit all the students in addition to other programs. This doesn't close a school but could bring in more money through rent and reduces one administrative position:

• Early Childhood coordinator Jacci Brown will become principal at Cherry Hill.
• Spencer Trail principal Lori Motsch will remain in her position there.
• Cherry Hill principal Marianne Cucci will become principal at Nelson Prairie.
• principal Trisha Anderson will be reassigned to the classroom. According to 2010-11 salaries provided by the district, Anderson's principal salary was $86,777.

There are currently 307 students enrolled at Cherry Hill and 333 at Spencer Trail, which includes morning and afternoon kindergarten as well as students from other programs. Those numbers are a dropoff from last year, and overall district enrollment is projected to decline slightly over the next five years.

Enrollment in 2011 is 5,320 students in the entire district, but future projections show that number to drop to 5,102 in 2017, decreasing each year.

Manville said after the meeting that these changes likely wouldn't impact busing options or class sizes. The average kindergarten class is 18.21 students this year, but the district would be comfortable increasing that to 22 students per class, according to its five-year financial forecast.