Recap: District 210 Board Responds to Community Concerns of School Closing

The Lincoln-Way District 210 Board of Education Saturday tackled community questions and concerns over its impending decision to close a school.

The district urged community members to submit questions online prior to the meeting, to help the board focus its efforts. Patch Editor Lauren Traut published live updates throughout the meeting.

On the day’s agenda:

• Savings associated with building closure
• Functional capacity of each school
• Development of building closing scenarios
• Clarification on Options A and B
• Enrollment numbers
• Operational and savings costs by school
• Building and utility cost analysis
• Life safety
• independent consultant
• Board criteria for decision
• Transition plan
• Budget cuts
• Other FAQs

12 p.m. Meeting starts

Kevin Molloy is reading a statement from the board.

“We sit here today because in 2008 the bottom dropped out,” said board member Kevin Molloy. People lost homes, economy tanked. The district suffered a “severe blow,” and board is working hard to fix and bring these students out the best we can.

Board has cut $9 million from a $100 million budget in recent years due to cuts in state funding.

“We knew as a board what was in front of us. We had a choice to walk away, or stay and fix it....”

12:10 p.m. Superintendent Tingley takes the mic.

Questions, comments were grouped together by topic. Focus will be on topic of school closure (as opposed to other options).

Projected savings of $4.2-$4.3 million is independent of which school they choose to close.

Functional Capacity: room by room analysis of how students use the rooms in a building on a daily basis. Functional capacity is “comfortable. We can go above functional capacity, but that’s when things will start getting crowded.”

Board considered closings each of the four schools, with two scenarios per school. Option A keeps junior highs together; Option B uses major arteries to draw geographic boundaries.

Central Option A would see increased travel for West side of Mokena, and Martino students. The enrollment numbers would work in this scenario.

Central Option B: would divide eastern part of district. Percentages and numbers work on the east side. If development were to occur, it would be on the west side of the district.

East Option B: the numbers work. Enrollment at Summit Hill is expected to decline. Travel times of this option will not be a significant change.

North Option B: numbers also work as far as accommodation, could shift to adjust for swell in certain area.

“If we went with the boundary line option, we’d really have to take time to develop those lines to make sure they’re spot on. ... and develop more policy,” Tingley said.

“100 percent functional capacity is comfortable,” Tingley said. “Lower is better, but 100 is comfortable.”

Board member McFadden takes on West Option A: “obvious problem” is it buses Manhattan students to LWE. Wants another option “West C” showing all of New Lenox, Manhattan at LWC.

Kosel clarifies that Functional capacity is not the same as building capacity. Focus is on keeping numbers optimal for learning experience.

How did the district determine its projected enrollment numbers? Figures were provided by all public and private feeder schools as of Sept. 30, 2014. No growth or construction figures were factored in. Projections Also assume all students at feeder schools will attend LW schools—not private schools.

First through fourth grade—projected at just over 6,400 students.

“We’re using that number as our baseline for 5-6 years from now. 6,400 students, three high schools, we’re fine. ... 6,400 students, two high schools, we’re fine. ... I know we’re not going to be off by 1,000 [students] five years from now. The economy would have to go gangbusters for us to get to 7,200 students in those first through fourth grades.”

Now on to operating costs of each building:

Large utility bills—board has been working on lowering bills for two years; working with villages and utility companies. Large $226,000 water bill at LWC attributed to underground leak under the concession stand.

Utility portions: to determine savings, worked with an outside contractor Berg Engineering, because they’re familiar with buildings. Provided estimates of percentage of utilities that could be saved.

Projected savings for each school closed:

• LWC: $1,406,519.81
• LWE: $1,517,566.33
• LWN: $1,022,965.10
• LWW: $971,141.27

Utility costs represent an average of FY 2012–14. Water numbers reflect costs/savings prior to repairs made in June 2015. Custodial savings reduced to reflect lower contract in place as of July 1, 2015. Supplies, services, rentals incorporate varied savings rates. Utility savings rates follow guidelines provided by Berg. All savings are projected as minimum amounts saved. Figures are consumption-based; they do not reflect capital maintenance repairs.

Independent consultant Johnson Controls contracted to conduct building performance analysis. Currently analyzing utility consumption and bills. Will walk buildings next week.

Health or safety concerns at any of the schools? Board says none. Each school pass an annual life safety inspection and are approved for occupancy by the Regional Office of Education. Fire marshals accompany officials from the ROE on life safety walks. Each school received the same evaluation and have been deemed in full compliance.

What criteria are the board using to make a decision?

• First-order consideration: boundary lines or junior highs
• Second-order consideration: building/district capacity. Transportation/geographic location. Others.

Kosel says no matter which school closes, it will remain a community asset. All four are equipped with generators, can serve as community shelter in case of emergency.

“No opportunities” to sell a school, Molloy said. “I don’t feel it would be fiscally responsible to sell any school from the standpoint of, if we indeed down the road need a school, to go ahead and pass a referendum would be near impossible. There could come a day when that school would be necessary.

“We have two years to get it right, or the ISBE will come in. Our job is to get it right the first time, so that we don’t have to go through this a second time.”

Maintenance staff continues to work on items that surface at schools. Items at LWC were in the area of the original gymnasium. Those were all addressed in an upgrade of that floor, doors and entryway in 2010.

McFadden wants to prioritize how to maintain educational systems, minimize disruption of students. Keep students balanced in enrollment, keep travel times manageable.

“I think in five years it’s more likely we’ll have two high schools than three,” McFadden says, as he believes the state funding will continue to suffer.

“Kids are not ping-pong balls,” he added, of the board’s process to make the decision. ”I don’t think anyone has a definitive answer yet.”

“We are faced with closing a school,” said board member Ron Lullo. “It’s not about watering down L-W. We’re reducing it. Instead of the face of four buildings, it will be the face of three schools. It’s not about who has the most spirit, the biggest Facebook page. If we were voting with our hearts, we could make a decision today. ...We have to use our heads. ... No matter what we do, probably will not be the right decision for everyone, but we have to do what’s best for the community as a whole.”

“You have four phenomenal school opportunities,” Molloy said. “And that’s just going to change to three.”

Transition plan will focus on students/incoming seniors, class size, building usage, staffing and personnel.

For students, will look at how to alleviate stress, anxiety of transitioning to another school. Will do “everything we can” to keep students engaged in activities wherever they’re at.

Board is in process of developing a transition plan. Board has not yet determined how they will use the shuttered school. “We’ll have to begin this process soon,” Tingley says.

What other cuts have been made?

Answers from Tingley. District has eliminated several admin positions over the last 8 years. Pupil to administrator ration is 262:1. State average sits at 188:1.

ISBE reports district’s student to teacher ratio at 20:1; state average is 18;1. Board will continue to investigate other avenues to reduce spending without impacting students.

“We’re going to do everything in our power to keep three schools open,” Tingley said. “You have my promise that we are doing what we think is best to save opportunities for our students, not just for right now, but for those thousands who will be Knights, Griffins, Warriors...

“The district faces more challenges in years to come. We’re going to continue to work through them. You need to know we have the best interest of your students at heart.”

Molloy says that other schools districts in Illinois are bound to suffer this same fate, particularly if they were ”not as well-prepared as we are.”

Tingley stresses that a decision has not yet been made. Molloy calls for civility during public comment portion.

Public comment:

Mokena District 159 School Board President and 2008 LW grad Jim Andresen takes the podium. Parents are concerned about redistricting, splitting towns in an already fractured community. “Will not dispute” that all four LW schools are equal.

Board members clarify that regardless of where they live, they each represent the entire district.

LWN parent Cyndi Grobmeier is next to speak, with an emotional appeal to the board. She says construction of LWN led her family to want to stay in their “starter home.

“LWN has become the heart of our community. ... I just wanted everyone to understand where we’re coming from. We were trying to save our school because it’s the heart of our community. We will accept whatever decision the board makes, but I hope everyone else will accept us into their schools [if that is the outcome]. I hope we can come together as a community and heal.”

Commenter John Milosovic wants better explanation of funding. McFadden explains state aid. District spends about $12,000 per student to educate each. State sets a foundation level of $6,119. According to the state, every school should be able to educate a student for $6,100. They don’t fund it at 100 percent—instead 92 percent. The state sets an arbitrary number, they don’t fund it at the number. If the state funds more percentage, but puts the property tax freeze in place, the district will be worse off.

Daniel Edwards speaks next, on the topic of school district organization. He suggests an independent consultant to come in and examine all feeder school districts for efficiency and cost effectiveness.

Molloy said if they wait two years, ISBE will come in and close two schools.

“We are going to be much more proactive than that.”

Renee Firestone says Mokena “is getting a raw deal.” She is concerned about students missing out on leadership opportunities in sports and activities, following a transition into a new school. She questions if the board has weighed impact on students’ mental health a school closure would have, and if additional counselors would be considered.

“The devil is in the details in how we implement this,” Kosel said, of concerns for students’ comfort levels throughout transition and beginning at new schools.

Molloy thanks crowd for giving board respect, positivity during meeting.

“This is what we hope for when we call these types of meetings.”

2 p.m. Meeting adjourned.