Districts 48, 88 to appeal detachment

Two DuPage County school districts will appeal a detachment ruling that allows a small Oak Brook neighborhood to pull out.

In a joint statement released Tuesday, officials from DuPage High School District 88 and Salt Creek Elementary District 48 said the detachment would have “a devastating impact” on the districts and their educational programs.

District 88 stands to lose $600,000 in yearly revenue and District 48 roughly $450,000 if the detachment goes through, officials said.

The DuPage Regional Board of School Trustees voted 4-3 last month in favor of the detachment sought by residents of the Timber Trails/Merry Lane neighborhood in Oak Brook.

The detachment will be on hold during the appeals process.

In seeking annexation to Butler Elementary School District 53 and Hinsdale High School District 86, petitioners argued it’s in the best interest of children in the neighborhood to be in schools that have more children from Oak Brook.

Hinsdale Central High School actually is farther away from the neighborhood than District 88’s Willowbrook High School, but has more students from Oak Brook.

“For over 50 years, Willowbrook High School has provided high quality education,” District 88 Superintendent Steve Humphrey said. “We believe students deserve the opportunity to be a part of that tradition.”

About 80 school-age children live in the neighborhood, a cluster of several small subdivisions north of Oakbrook Center. Most attend parochial or private schools. Twelve attend school in District 48; four go to Willowbrook High School.