District 303: Richmond-Davis Reorganization Stands

The parents who sued St. Charles Community Unit School District 303 over the reorganization of Richmond and Davis elementary schools might be bitterly disappointed that the district plans no change in the schools’ structure or programs.

The district released a letter to parents late last week announcing just that, after a court hearing Wednesday in which the district said its decision to reorganize the two schools was reaffirmed as both legal and within the district’s right.

“This means that the configurations and programs at Davis and Richmond will remain in place, but that the district must also ensure that the procedural requirements under the federal No Child Left Behind legislation are satisfied,” reads the letter, which is signed by Board of Education President Steven Spurling and Vice President Kathleen T. Hewell.

The letter also states the district is awaiting and intends to comply with further specific court instructions the district will be ordered to take. The letter states that the district anticipates those steps will include increasing participation by parents in school planning, and improving support to students who are not meeting the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act.

The district reorganized Richmond and Davis elementary schools into education centers for the 2011-12 school year after a judge dismissed a lawsuit by parents attempting to halt the changes.

The reorganization made Davis, 1125 S. 7th St., a school for kindergartners through second-graders, and made Richmond, 300 S. 12th St., a third- through fifth-grade school.

An appeals court reinstated the lawsuit about a year ago, which set the stage for the trial in August to determine whether to restore Richmond and Davis as elementary schools.

The ruling that came late last month in that trial had the plaintiffs and their attorney claiming victory, the Kane County Chronicle reported at that time.

The attorney, Timothy Dwyer, told the Chronicle last week that the district’s remarks about the legality of the reorganization are based on a “broad generalization.”

In its letter, the district accuses Dwyer of threatening “to file appeals and/or new lawsuits against District 303” unless the district pays him his fees and reimburses his costs, which the district said “is in the six figures.”

The board, the letter states, has rejected Dwyer’s demands for payment, saying its limited resources are dedicated to its schools and students and not to pay “people who disagree the board’s decisions …”