Dist. 94 wants elementary schools to consolidate

The West Chicago High School District 94 school board is hoping to get its elementary feeder districts to consider the possibility of consolidating into one school district.

District 94 school officials expect to bring up the matter at a joint meeting next Tuesday with Benjamin Elementary District 25, Winfield Elementary District 34 and West Chicago Elementary District 33.

Board president Tony Reyes said the four districts need to consider the matter as a way to create a more efficient and cost-effective learning environment for the roughly 7,200 students in the districts.

"I believe that anything we can do to further the education of our kids is worth the effort," Reyes said.

The elementary districts have, on occasion, brought up the possibility of consolidating with neighboring districts.

In Winfield District 34, school officials brought up the idea of merging with nearby Benjamin District 25 in 2006 as a cost-saving measure to overcome projected budget deficits at the time. But the matter was never formally pursued.

Rich Nagel, a District 94 school board member, agreed that school officials should pursue a discussion of consolidating the school districts, but not at next week's meeting.

That matter, he said, should be reserved for a meeting devoted to just that subject alone.

"I don't think the discussion is something we're going to get much out of in a 20-minute conversation," Nagel said. "For something this important we need to give the other school district officials time to prepare."