Section, staffing changes in District 23

The Prospect Heights Elementary District 23 school board on Thursday approved staffing changes, which will include added teaching positions and a new principal for Betsy Ross Elementary.

The board welcomed Claire Kowalczyk, who will be the new principal at Ross Elementary in Prospect Heights. She is currently an assistant principal at Kimball Hill School in Rolling Meadows.

"She is a good choice for Betsy Ross because she has a background in English as a second language, special education, elementary and early childhood education," said Superintendent Gregory Guarrine.

The board also approved a new staffing plan to reflect the flux in student enrollment. The district will add special education, gifted education and English as a second language teachers and a psychologist.

Teachers will be shifted around at various schools as a first-grade section is added at Ross, a fourth-grade section eliminated at Sullivan Elementary, and a fifth-grade section eliminated and second-grade section added at Eisenhower Elementary, he said.

The board recently looked at enrollment projections, which affect teacher allocation and class sizes.

The district has experienced a declining enrollment for the past few years, but it's projected to increase by about six kids next year to 1,441 kids from 1,435 this school year, district officials said.

In the 2004-2005, enrollment was 1,541 kids, which declined to 1,491 the next year. Last school year, it was 1,470.

While some grades will see classes eliminated and others added, overall class sizes will still fall within general district guidelines, Guarrine said.

At Ross, the incoming kindergarten class has been on the rise from 77 in the 2006-2007 school year to 91 this year with the expectation of the class to hold steady at 90 next year, district officials said.

At MacArthur Middle School, the school's 22 teachers could be shuffled just slightly. Now, there are eight teachers in the sixth grade, but one could be moved to the seventh-grade section, while the eighth grade will likely not see a change.

The enrollment projections help the district determine where to allocate resources, Guarrine said.

For more information, call the district at (847) 870-3850.