Orland Families Want Out of District 146, Board Says No

Orland Park residents who would like to detach from Community Consolidated District 146 will have to reconsider their next steps, after the board this week turned down their petition.

Parents Monica Randle and Diana Fitzgerald started a petition last year, stating residents in the Cascade Ridge and Wooded Path subdivision in Orland Park would see lower tax bills and shorter bus rides in District 135, as opposed to their current District 146.

The board Monday night told the petitioners that the document fell short of the Illinois School Code. It lacked a clear description of the area for which they were seeking detachment, and also an incorrect number of signatures. Some of the signatures were duplicates, while others were from residents who were not registered voters.

The area seeking to switch districts encompasses 40 homes, and the pair collected 51 signatures, but the board stated that the ambiguous boundaries for detachment clouded the number of signatures required. The petition would have required signatures from two-thirds of the registered voters.

The women have argued their students currently face 40-minute bus rides to District 146 schools, and lack connection with their neighbors who attend District 135 schools.

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