Glen Ellyn schools in need of elbow room
When it comes to space, it seems schools can't have enough of it, at least in Glen Ellyn Elementary District 41.
BrainSpaces founder Amy Yurko said the district needs more classrooms - in addition to the portable classrooms already in use - even if all of her suggestions are followed. She's a consultant hired to analyze how space is used at the district's five schools.
Many of her recommendations involve restructuring schools so offices and classrooms are in closer to each other to make sure they're being used most efficiently.
Superintendent Ann Riebock this week told school board members the report is one piece of a puzzle.
When District 41's proposal to borrow money to expand schools and restructure the district failed last year, officials began a comprehensive building analysis.
Riebock said the space study and a security audit will be combined with other pieces to form a master facility plan. Once that's done, they'll present it to residents for discussions about long-term building needs.
As for the BrainSpaces report, it's recommending a list of changes for each school.
With six portable units, classroom needs are being met at Lincoln Elementary, but the large number of students is straining main school services, like the library.
The consultant suggested clustering grade-level rooms, building a hallway for third-graders housed in portables so they don't have to walk through staff offices, and relocating offices for the assistant principal, and early childhood, bilingual and special education programs.
At Franklin Elementary, undersized rooms are a problem, and the building needs two new classrooms. Relocating a special program, such pre-kindergarten, to another school could help.
The consultant said moving some rooms - art, music, math, literacy, and gifted specialists, occupational and physical therapy - could improve flow. BrainSpaces also suggested moving band and orchestra to the stage, an area now used by therapists.
At Churchill Elementary, eight portable classrooms alleviated a space crunch. But the additional students strain the school's core services.
Yurko of BrainSpaces suggests classes clustered by grade level, moving the band and orchestra to the stage, computer labs to a larger space, and specialists to an office cluster. She also recommends moving a math specialist out of the library and using a kitchen as staff lounge.
Forest Glen Elementary, needs two more classrooms, Yurko said. Recommendations include moving all child-based classes up from the basement and replacing them with offices or storage.
She also suggests expanding the administration area for meeting space, moving band and orchestra to the stage and grouping classes by grade level.
At Hadley Jr. High, the functional capacity of the school, including portable classrooms, is 1,050 students. Enrollment is 1,156.
The consultant recommends reassigning classrooms based on purpose and grade, adding six to eight classrooms and reducing the size of sixth and seventh grade classes.