Palatine District 15 board to hear proposal for new school April 13

A Palatine Township Elementary School District 15 planning committee says a new school in the northeast corner of the district could open up more space for full-day kindergarten and cut down on transportation costs.

The facilities plan committee, charged initially with making recommendations on the district's building safety improvements, will present the idea to the board at the April 13 board meeting. News of the proposal first came out in a District 15 newsletter sent to parents and district residents.

Members of the committee say about 22 percent of District 15 students live in a one-square-mile area bound by Lake-Cook Road to the north, Wilke Road and Route 53 to the east and Rand Road and Hicks Road to the west. The area is largely in Palatine.

"We realized 63 of the district's 143 buses are transporting kids from this one area and there are no schools up there," Thompson said.

The committee is made up of district residents, parents and municipal leaders.

Building a new school in the area, which is heavily residential, would cut down on transportation costs as most students would be able to walk to school, Thompson says.

While the facilities plan committee will present the idea to District 15 board members, it would be up to voters to approve funding for construction on a new free-standing building through a referendum if the board decides to pursue the proposal.

"I think people who have heard about it think it is something that has been needed for a while," Thompson said. "We wouldn't proceed without voter approval."

Thompson says the committee is still investigating a location for the potential school.

District 15 currently has 15 elementary schools, four junior high schools, a preschool early childhood center and an alternative public day school.

The board meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, at Walter R. Sundling Junior High School, 1100 N. Smith St. in Palatine.