Glen Ellyn District 41 to continue studying full-day kindergarten

The Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41 school board voted Monday to continue exploring facilities that support adding full-day kindergarten in the district and removing portable classrooms at Hadley Junior High School.

But the school board still needs to vote on whether the district will even have full-day kindergarten in the future.

"Full-day kindergarten will be decided when the next board quite honestly makes a decision (about) going to referendum or not," Superintendent Paul Gordon said.

The unanimous vote Monday will allow the administration to study a K-5 school at the site of the former Spalding school, an early learning center solution at Spalding, and an alternative to portable classrooms at Hadley, and to develop a full-day kindergarten curriculum.

The school board also approved adding four more classrooms at Churchill school.

The cost of the study will not exceed $10,000, according to board documents.

Gordon said the primary goals are to study a K-5 school and an early learning center. The option to modify existing elementary schools to allow for a full-day kindergarten program will be back on the table if the district hears an overwhelming desire from community members to bring that option back.

Board President John Kenwood said he thought it was a mistake to exclude modifying the existing schools in the vote.

The district has previously discussed three potential facility options to accommodate a full-day program in the district: modifying the existing elementary schools, building a new K-5 school, or constructing an early learning center for youngsters.

According to cost estimates provided by the district, building another K-5 school would cost roughly $26.9 million to $29.2 million. Constructing an early learning center for youngsters would cost about $21.7 million to $23.6 million, and modifying the existing schools would cost $14.9 million to $16.5 million.

District officials have said a referendum would be necessary to fund any of those facility options.