School districts agree to hire a firm on merger

The concept of collaboration, in addition to consolidation, was added Monday night to a study about the merger of four districts within West Chicago Community High School District 94.

While that pleased most on the committee reviewing the notion, District 94 board President Tony Reyes, the driving force behind consolidation, was dissatisfied with it, at best.

"I don't want to derail the process," he said, adding that an in-depth look at collaboration is a different review. Superintendents already produced a four-page list of ways in which the districts now collaborate, he said.

Winfield Elementary District 34 board member Bob Brown said one of the things a consultant can look at is whether those are the "best form of collaboration."

"I don't think I'm going to live long enough to find the answers to that," Reyes responded.

In the end, though, the group agreed to have the consultant - for which all four districts are paying - give at least a cursory review to ways in which the districts could better work together.

At issue is whether it is both financially and educationally better to merge. The districts include District 94 and the three elementary districts that feed into it: District 34, Benjamin Elementary District 25 and West Chicago Elementary District 33.

Reyes said he wants the study completed and a question of possible consolidation put before voters on the April ballot.

Not everyone else agrees with that plan, or at least that timeline.

"You keep saying we're going to do the study and put it on the ballot," District 94 board member Rich Nagel said. "There's probably two to three years of work after the study to even get it on the ballot."

The four superintendents next will review consultants, select their top choice and the committee plans to meet again in October.