District 89 superintendent: No boundary changes for next year

Glen Ellyn Elementary District 89 is preparing to scrap plans to adopt boundary changes for the coming school year and instead focus on possible solutions to overcrowding for 2018-19.

In a Friday afternoon tweet, the district said Superintendent Emily Tammaru will "recommend to delay a decision on new boundaries" when the school board meets at 8 a.m. Saturday at Glen Crest Middle School, 725 Sheehan Ave., Glen Ellyn.

The decision comes just two days after parents packed the gym at Arbor View Elementary to make an emotional plea for the district to reconsider redrawing its attendance boundaries.

The proposed changes would have sent about 280 students to new schools next fall.

Parents at the meeting also said they were unhappy the district publicly released only one proposed boundary option instead of offering several. They called on the board to delay a decision until other options can be vetted.

In a Facebook message sent to district families, Tammaru said after listening to parents' feedback, "I have decided additional time is needed to continue examining potential solutions."

"On Saturday, the board will hear a presentation about the enrollment study process so far and a recommendation to spend additional time examining solutions," she wrote. "The meeting is open to the public. We will continue to communicate the steps in this process as we go forward.

"I want to thank our community for their passion for their schools and their involvement in this important process. I look forward to our continuing conversation."

The district still believes redrawing boundaries is the "best solution," spokesman Matt Hanley said. "But we want to just slow the process down and make sure we answer every question that people have."

For the coming school year, the district still will consider ways to reduce the number of students who transfer from overcrowded neighborhood schools to ones with space in classrooms, he said.

Board members originally were scheduled to vote on new boundaries as early as Feb. 13. That no longer will happen.

A consultant hired by the district says District 89 likely will add about 300 students over the next five years and could potentially add as many as 800.

A task force commissioned by the board endorsed a change in boundaries to address rising enrollment in the district that already serves 2,200 students.