Early learning center to serve three school districts
A cooperative effort by three Lake County elementary school districts to maximize resources will result in a shared preschool facility expected to serve about 300 students.
Preschoolers from Mundelein District 75, Hawthorn District 73 and Fremont District 79 will report to the former Lincoln School, which was closed four years ago by District 75 as a cost-saving measure.
"Rather than a classroom in a corner, this is really a school designed for kids in the 3-to-5 age range," District 79 Superintendent Jill Gildea said. "It's just a collaborative space," she added.
After closing Lincoln, District 75 tried for two years without success to repurpose the building. Citing a lack of space in its facilities, Vernon Hills-based District 73 two years ago agreed to lease space and established its early childhood programs in the building four miles away at 200 W. Maple Ave. (Route 176) in Mundelein.
The newly named Lincoln Early Learning Center is described as a tri-district preschool facility. Planning is in full swing and students are scheduled to report in the latter part of August.
"All of us are putting the pieces together so it's financially balanced," Gildea said. The district will expand its preschool program and will use four rooms at Lincoln.
Since it was the lone occupant, District 73 rented and used 12 classrooms in Lincoln, although it only needs six. That means the rent will be reduced and there will be other trade offs, Superintendent Nick Brown said.
"We think we'll reduce our costs by about a third," Brown said.
Carol Bennett, the director of educational services and programming at District 79, will be the principal for the new venture. Each district will provide its own early childhood teachers and specialists, such as occupational therapists, to serve students in morning and afternoon sessions in 12 classrooms.
Shared costs for utilities and services are expected to provide savings. For example, District 73 will provide a nurse and secretary, while the custodians will come from District 75. Costs for administrative support and professional development for teachers also will be shared.
"We basically counted up all the costs and divided," District 75 Superintendent Andy Henrikson said.
District 75 will move an early childhood special education program to two classrooms at Lincoln. That program had been run on a fee basis by the Special Education District of Lake County at Sandburg Middle School. The move will save District 75 $136,000 the first year, according to Henrikson.
Bennett said it will be an opportunity for teachers and others from the districts to share resources and professional opportunities that will enhance learning.
"It's centralized in one location so we can build together," she said. "Over time, we will probably share some of the therapists," she added.
Schools are mandated to provide various early childhood offerings, such as at-risk or special education, Gildea said. The new center will serve all.
"It is a school designed for the earliest learning of all types, but is meeting the needs of all districts for students who qualify," she said.
Henrikson said only the lower level of Lincoln will be used, leaving six classrooms still available on the upper level.
"I would hope we would eventually start a tuition-based preschool upstairs," he said. "There's lots of ideas about growing it, but this is a start and a good start."