Haines Middle School to Close to Improve Other St. Charles Middle Schools

ST. CHARLES, IL — St. Charles District 303 officials recently announced their long-term plan to improve Wredling and Thompson middle schools and close Haines middle school, Kane County Chronicleannounced.

This decision comes after survey results indicted St. Charles residents would rather the town close Haines and focus on upgrading the two other schools — like expanding the cafeterias and adding air conditioners —Superintendent Don Schlomann said.

District residents weren't completely against the idea of forming a new middle school, which was proposed and rejected a year ago, but they didn't want to pay for it, Kane County Chronicle reported.

“What we heard: Do not raise my taxes, keep part of Thompson, improve traffic flow,” Schlomann said. “‘Get rid of the portables’ – we heard a lot of that. ‘Install air conditioning.’ Everyone said that. … With that in mind, we were working through different ideas of how to do this.”

Closing Haines will save the district $2.4 million per year in operational costs, said Kane County Chronicle.

The administration will propose to the school board to spend $50 million to improve both middle schools. $2.7 million would go to Wredling, and the rest would go to Thompson. The goal is to make the two middle schools similar in size so they can each accommodate 1,400 students. The schools will have cafeterias able to fit 500 students.

This money comes from non-referendum debt, construction grants and fund balances, so taxpayers will have to pay the costs associated with the improvements.

Schlomann said for a home valued at $300,000, the tax increase will be about $30. By 2018, the district should be almost debt-free, so the same house will see a $600 drop in property taxes in that year.

Thompson's current classrooms will be upgraded and 31 new classrooms will be added, along with a new additional gymnasium and a new fitness room, which will all be air conditioned. The traffic flow and parking will also be improved to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Additionally, upgraded STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics – labs would also be built at each school.

Bell Graham, Ferson Creek, Lincoln, Richmond/Davis, and Wasco students will be assigned to attend Thompson. Anderson, Corron, Fox Ridge, Norton Creek, Munhall, and Wild Rose students will go to Wredling.

Staff will have to apply to which school and grades they want to teach and the board will the determine boundaries for the two schools.

Students will still take classes in portions of the Haines building while work is being done to improve Thompson.

Work on Wredling's science labs and cafeteria will hopefully begin next summer. The school should be completed during the 2017-18 school year. Sixth graders will attend part of the current Thompson building, while seventh and eighth graders will attend Haines, said Kane County Chronicle.

By the fall of 2019 school year, Thompson should open to students and Haines will close.

The proposed timeline is for work to begin next summer on Wredling’s cafeteria and science labs, as well as Thompson’s modernization. Wredling should be completed during the 2017-18 school year with sixth graders attending part of the current Thompson building, and seventh and eighth graders attending Haines.

By the fall of 2019 school year, the modernized Thompson school should be open and Haines will close.

“Logistically, this is not a simple story,” Schlomann said to Kane County Chronicle. “There are lots of moving parts.”

Officials at the district's Business Services Committee meeting will go into further details. The meeting is at 5 p.m. Sept. 29 at the administration office at 201 S. Seventh St.

Community meetings will be held at 7 p.m. on Oct. 20 at Haines Middle School, Oct. 24 at Wredling Middle School, and Oct. 25 at Thompson Middle School. They'll be at Haines Middle School

The school board will further discuss the middle school plan at meetings on Oct. 11 and Nov. 3 and a final vote is slated for Nov. 14.