'We Cannot Have 4 Schools Open,' Says D210 Board Member

Two months after going public with the possibility of closing a school to address financial problems, Lincoln Way District 210 board members say it’s all but certain one of the high schools will need to close.

“I am coming to the view that we cannot continue to have four high schools,” said board member Christopher McFadden. “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.”

McFadden added that he believed the board acted in good faith by seeking to build four schools in 2006. The word came Wednesday night as the school board and district administrators hosted the second of two informational sessions for the public. The word came Wednesday night as the school board and district administrators hosted the second of two informational sessions for the public.

District 210 has been weighing the likelihood of closing a high school, cutting a class period, seeking a tax hike or some combination of those options to address withered finances. This spring, the district was placed on the 2015 Financial Watch list, the lowest possible financial rating made by the Illinois State Board of Education.

In a district with more than 22,000 households and 70,000 residents, Superintendent Scott Tingley cited an informal online survey the district conducted, which garnered 550 responses. Tingley 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 Tingley informally stated the board will no longer consider cutting extracurriculars as an option.

As an alternative to closing a school, a tax-hike referendum does not necessarily guarantee the district would be able to maintain operation of all four schools, Tingley said.

“If the district’s enrollment were steady at 7,200, with potential for growth, referendum would be a much better option than it is right now,” he said.

Tingley also tackled specific questions from survey respondents, such as bringing in students from outside the district for better use of the facilities. The option is not feasible for many reasons, he said, namely that those families do not pay taxes within the district, and establishing a voucher-based tuition program would drastically impact class size and class composition.

Solutions then left before the board include a two-year tax hike or shuttering a school (whether permanently or temporarily).

» Read: ‘I Am Disappointed,’ LW Grad Tells School Board. ‘Figure This Out’

‘A Lost Generation of Students?’

Slow down, some parents told the board.

“We know there are many options to consider in this monumental decision,” said Cynthia Grobmier. “Two months has not been much time.”

Her worry is that, in closing a school, students will be lost in the shuffle of new settings, different classmates, and changing identities. The idea of closing a school indefinitely, but retaining the campus and building with the possibility of someday reopening seems questionable, she said.

“Are we creating a lost generation of students because of our financial mistakes?” she asked. “Let’s have a four-year plan, so that students going in as freshman can know which school they will graduate from.”

Grobmier called for a SWOT analysis—strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats—and consultation by an outside firm before the board’s decision is final.

“We hope that you take the time to make a good decision, and include us in this decision as you go through this process.”

Another resident contended that a referendum is only a “short-term Band-Aid.”

“There’s no guarantee that a referendum passing will get us out of this mess,” John Hamstra said. “Closing a school is best for the kids, best for the community.”

One parent said she would only feel right supporting a referendum if the district also closed a school.

“It doesn’t make any sense to hold a school open and ask people to pay for all this extra space when it’s not being used,” said Christina Zubenko. “If we needed to, we could close two.”

Lincoln-Way Education Association President Tim Conway stressed that the board reach a conclusion, and soon.

“If the decision is to close a school, it is important that teachers and students be aware of that before the new school year begins,” Conway said. “Our goal is to educate the children of this district to the best of the ability … We can’t do that if they’re distracted.”

‘Figure It Out’

Perhaps the most impassioned plea of the evening came from Samantha Nekola, a member of the first graduating class of Lincoln-Way North. She began her high school years at Lincoln-Way East, then moved to North, the district’s first new high school in 30 years.

Her alma mater, North, has been the subject of much of the school-closing talk.

She spoke of being “a number” at Lincoln-Way East, before leaving for a private school her sophomore year, and rejoining the district later at North, where she thrived as both an individual as a team athlete.

“I played sports. ... took honor classes, went on to play basketball in college,” she said. “I’m wondering where are my role models that once taught me to never give up.

“I am telling you as an alumn(a), and a big sister, figure it out.”

Current Lincoln-Way North student Emily Mirabella asked for transparency and clarity from the board.

“I need the students to be filled in,” she said. “Because we can’t focus unless we know what’s going on with our school.”

The next board meeting is set for Thursday, July 16, at 7 p.m. in the Lincoln-Way Central Fine Arts Center.