Glen Ellyn District 41 discusses full-day kindergarten facility solutions
Three facility solutions to support full-day kindergarten in Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41 were presented at Monday's board meeting, with the cheapest option costing at least near $15 million.
The three options presented to the board included building a new K-5 school, constructing an early learning center for youngsters and modifying the current schools to fit in full-day kindergarten.
Modifying all four schools is estimated to cost from $14.9 million to $16.5 million to implement. A new elementary school is estimated to cost anywhere from $26.9 million to $29.2 million, while the early learning center is a little less expensive, costing $21.7 million to $23.6 million.
Superintendent Paul Gordon said a referendum would be necessary to fund any of those projects.
The district is already underway with a roughly $15 million project to bring new classrooms to each elementary school in order to remove its portable classrooms. Lincoln and Ben Franklin schools each received four new classrooms, which have already been completed. Projects to install five classrooms at Churchill and four at Forest Glen are still in progress.
Once this entire project is complete, the district will have removed 16 portables.
Gordon said he also recommends adding four more classrooms and a walkway to Churchill, which would eliminate the district's remaining elementary school portables.
The cost to create those classrooms was not reflected in the costs of the facility options to support full-day kindergarten, but officials said the conceptual plans for options were drawn assuming that project occurred. Creating those four classrooms is estimated to cost about $2.7 million to 3 million.
A separate proposed plan regarding Hadley Junior High was also presented, which would give the school new and remodeled classrooms as well as a cafetorium. That project is estimated to cost from about $10.5 million to $12.2 million.
Modifying the four elementary schools to accommodate full-day kindergarten would not change the boundaries that determine which schools students attend.
The proposed K-5 school would sit on the site of the former Spalding school and necessitate boundary changes. It would include classroom wings, an administrative space, a cafeteria, music and art classrooms, a media center and playground areas. With a new K-5 school, some work would still need to be done with existing elementary buildings. The early learning center would be the home to kindergartners, preschoolers and early learning rooms.
Community listening sessions on Monday's subject will take place Jan. 31 and Feb. 4. Staff is expected to bring a recommendation regarding facility solutions to the board for discussion on Feb. 9.