Bartlett's efforts to leave U-46 are 'languishing'

It's been more than three years since Bartlett voters put their overwhelming support behind leaving Elgin Area School District U-46.

Today, however, residents want to know whether village officials have abandoned the fight.

"The residents of Bartlett made their desires very clear. We would now like to know how to make this a reality," resident Frank Napolitano said Tuesday as he addressed the village board.

Mayor Catherine Melchert didn't mince words: In short, nothing's happening.

Current state laws favor consolidation, not breaking up school districts.

A House bill that would make it easier to split from the state's second-largest school district missed an April 2007 deadline for floor action and has been on the backburner ever since. A similar state Senate bill was killed last year before even reaching a committee discussion.

"Right now, it's just sitting there languishing," Melchert said. "It will probably go nowhere this session. It probably won't be heard this year."

Village officials said they remain committed to forming an independent district out of U-46's southeast quadrant. It would likely corral 10,000 students -- about a quarter of U-46's enrollment -- from Bartlett and parts of neighboring Carol Stream, Wayne and West Chicago.

Bartlett's next move is to meet with the U-46 school board, Melchert said. And village officials are prepared to go back to state legislators to continue arguments, just as they sent a delegation to Springfield last year to speak on behalf of the bill.

U-46 remains steadfast in its opposition.

"Nothing's changed. We're still opposed to it," said school board President Ken Kaczynski, also of Bartlett. "There's been no new information or no new discussion that would change that."

Opponents argue that allowing Bartlett and friends to dismantle a district that dates back to 1873 would cause a significant demographic disparity.

The new district would be largely white and middle class, leaving the rest of U-46 largely minority and more economically stressed.

Kaczynski emphasized much has changed in the years since Bartlett's 2004 referendum.

"Our financial situation is much improved, and test scores are rising," he said.

Among Bartlett's many obstacles is the recent retirement of former Superintendent Connie Neale.

"We're waiting to see who the new superintendent will be," Melchert said.

And ultimately, disconnection would need more than the U-46 school board's OK. It would require approval by voters in all 11 district communities.