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District didn't want to give up school

I found the article in the paper recently regarding Round Lake Area Unit District 116 and their use of Joseph J. Pleviak School in Lake Villa as a Kindergarten Center very informative and encouraging. However, I also found that a caption with a picture of children entering Pleviak very inaccurate and discouraging.

The caption states that Pleviak Elementary School was "unwanted" by Lake Villa District 41. That statement is completely misleading and quite certainly misstates the facts.

To state that Pleviak is no longer wanted by Lake Villa District 41 ignores that our district was compelled to close an elementary building due to reduced funding from Illinois General State Aid, coupled with declining student enrollment in our district.

Our district could no longer afford the luxury of keeping four elementary schools (plus one middle school) open when our overall enrollment numbers have declined from a peak in excess of 3,400 down to current numbers around 2,900.

To the contrary, the students, staff, parents, community members and board members of our district very much wanted to keep all of our elementary schools open. Unfortunately, it would not have been prudent to do so.

Pleviak School has had, and will always continue to have, a very special place in the heart of everyone in our community. We sincerely hope that the children, families and staff from our neighbors in Round Lake get as much joy and satisfaction attending Pleviak School as the children from our district have for many years.

Michael Conway

School board president

Lake Villa Elementary District 41