St. Charles school district may upgrade Web site

The parental pastime of waiting for report cards to come in the mail might soon be history in St. Charles Unit District 303.

School officials are exploring upgrades to the district Web site, www.d303.org, that would give parents real-time access to their child's grades, homework and attendance with only the click of a mouse.

"This is something the parents in the community are looking for," said Scott Nowling, a school board member and chairman of the community relations committee. "Particularly in the elementary and middle school levels, parents really want to have a sense of what is assigned and to be able to make sure they're aligned with the teacher and their kid about what's going on."

In October, the district redesigned its site to make it more navigable and interactive. It already includes a link where parents can view what their middle- or high-schooler bought in the lunch line through prepaid cards.

Now the school board plans to consider even further upgrades so parents can get a more complete view of students' day-to-day activities, including pop-quiz scores and homework assignments, Nowling said.

Of course, it isn't cheap.

John Reichling, the district's chief information officer, estimated that software upgrades could cost between $500,000 to $1 million, depending on how high-tech the district wants to go. Teachers also would have to be trained to use the system.

But Reichling said it seems to be the direction most comparable districts are heading and something parents are clamoring for.

"The IT (information technology) office would definitely have a very large process on our hands," he said. "But I'd be ecstatic. I think it's a great direction to go in, personally."

Superintendent Don Schlomann said Batavia school administrators have expressed interest in working with District 303 to negotiate a reduced rate. The St. Charles district already is developing bid requests to get the project moving, he said.

"Within a year, we will be at the point where grades are online," Schlomann said. "That's what parents expect."