LW 210 Families Anxious for School Closing Decision

Families in Lincoln-Way District 210 are bracing for the school board’s school closing decision Thursday, but for many, the concern is what comes after the vote.

“When the announcement is made as to which school to close, please, no booing, no hissing and mostly no cheering,” wrote one parent on Facebook. “... I think silence so quiet that you could hear a pin drop will say far more than any screaming.”

The call on which school to shutter follows months of discussion and an even longer stretch of speculation that began in the spring. Before the board publicly acknowledged the issue, rumors had already begun that one of the district’s newest schools—namely Lincoln-Way North at the time—would close to help the district claw its way out of a $5.5 million deficit and off the state’s financial watch list. District officials have said a school closure will eliminate the annual deficit spending by the 2017-18 school year.

Thursday’s meeting will determine which school will close effective in fall 2016, and how the board will redistribute its 7,000 students.

Parents have urged the board to slow down and research every option, demanding transparency throughout and often peppering the board members with questions of what is to come. Board members this week have insisted it is crucial to make the decision before the start of the school year Aug. 19. Their work doesn’t end with the vote—repositioning staff will need to be completed by April, Superintendent Scott Tingley told WJOL.

How They Got Here

Many in the community contend the board has not answered the simplest of questions: how did this happen? Discussions have included enrollment statistics and projections left unmet by a recession that no one saw coming when the district pitched building two new schools in 2006. The area was expected to see explosive growth to justify the $200 million in bonds sold to erect the state-of-the-art buildings. The population of New Lenox alone was expected to swell to 100,000 by 2030. But the houses weren’t built and the kids didn’t come.

A school district expanded to accommodate 10,000 students hovers at 7,000, all schools falling short of capacity.

Faced with overwhelming debt and running out of its financial reserves, the board was faced with three options: a tax hike, heavy cuts to extracurriculars, or school closure. With little public discussion of the other options, the board has seemed to push the view that a school should close. In a district with more than 22,000 households and 70,000 residents, Tingley cited an informal online survey the district conducted, which garnered 550 responses. He said the majority favored closing a school, while a tax hike received the second-most support. A strong majority was opposed to eliminating a class or extracurricular activities, and in early July, Tingley informally stated the board would no longer consider cutting extracurriculars as an option. Two weeks later, that option and a tax hike were swept off the table.

“We have to say to the community that the $6 million we are spending on a fourth high school, this year, is the last $6 million we are going to spend on a mistake,” board member Chris McFadden said during a July meeting.

A District Divided

In the several months since the board began its public talks of their dire financial situation, parents and students have rallied behind their respective schools. Many have pressed the district for more answers, requesting financial documents and conducting their own analyses. The board presented a slate of options for closing each school, each presenting attendance options based on either keeping feeder schools together, or redrawing the boundaries based on geography.

>>READ: Recap: Lincoln-Way District 210 School Closure Options

Board president Kevin Molloy insists a decision has not been made, and that he does not know how fellow board members will vote. Parents hoping they can have some say in the outcome turn to social media to urge public outcry. Many have pressed fellow parents to contact their mayors, many of whom have remained mum on the impending closure.

New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann has interacted on social media, stirring reaction from district parents with his public support of Lincoln-Way Central, the district’s oldest school.

“As a mayor, I’ve had a number of constituents ask me to speak up,” Baldermann said. “It certainly does impact communities. When I look at the numbers, and the potential growth, I have an opinion on what I think is the best school for closing.”

Baldermann has said he favors closing Lincoln-Way North, and that he believes the board will make the best decision for all involved. Molloy would like to keep open Lincoln-Way East and Central—the district’s two largest schools—under the premise that if they are forced with closing another school in coming years, they’ll need the large capacities the two provide.

Board member McFadden said a second closure might still be unavoidable.

“I think in five years it’s more likely we’ll have two high schools than three,” McFadden said, as the district could face a property tax freeze and a pension cost shift.

Baldermann said if the board thinks that’s a possibility, he believes it would have been wise for them to act sooner than later, closing both Lincoln-Way North and Lincoln-Way West.

Frankfort Mayor Jim Holland expressed his faith in the board to make the right decision about which school to close.

“I regularly hear people say they moved to the area for the schools,” said Holland.

“I think that the school board will make a decision based on what is best for all of the students of Lincoln-Way.”

After the decision, comes the delicate process of shifting students and staff. Tingley told WJOL that the board will consider keeping all juniors from this coming school year together as seniors for 2016-2017. Complications with the IHSA could prove problematic, but the concept is a strong possibility.

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

Thursday’s meeting takes place at set 7 p.m., in the Fine Arts Center at Lincoln-Way Central, 1801 E. Lincoln Hwy. Patch will update live from the meeting. Follow our reporting here.

RECENT COVERAGE

• Could Closing a School be in LW’s Future? Lincoln-Way 210 Faces Tough Financial Questions: District dismisses rumors and says “no formal discussions” of closing LW North or West as officials look for a way off the state’s Financial Watch list. (May 5, 2015)

• ‘I Am Disappointed,’ LW Grad Tells School Board. ‘Figure This Out’:Former student delivers a strong message to the District 210 Board of Education at Wednesday’s presentation about cutbacks. (July 1)

• ‘We Cannot Have 4 Schools Open,’ Says D210 Board Member: Board of Education members say they anticipate a formal decision will be made in 30 to 60 days. (July 2)

• ‘Kids Will Bounce Back,’ L-W North Student Tells Board: If a school closes and students have to be relocated, they will be just fine, one student told the Lincoln-Way Board Wednesday. (July 3)

• D210 Board Member: ‘Numbers Speak for Themselves,’ School Closing Only Way Out: Board members vote to table tax hike and cutting extracurriculars, saying neither would ultimately be enough. (July 17)