Dist. 204 candidates talk school switch

Hundreds of students in the Indian Prairie Unit Distrcit 204 class of 2012 will likely be forced to trade their letter jackets midstream.

Several of the 12 candidates for the district's four open school board seats disagreed on whether those students should be allowed to stay in their original schools during Wednesday evening's candidate forum hosted by the Naperville Area Homeowners Confederation.

Approximately 200 Neuqua Valley freshmen will be trading the blue and gold of the Wildcats for the green and gold of the Waubonsie Valley Warriors. Approximately 500 Warriors also will be trading in their green and gold for the black and gold of the Metea Valley Mustangs.

District officials announced in October that students who are eighth graders and freshmen in 2008-09 will transition to their new high schools in August 2009, just as was done during 1997's opening of Neuqua Valley High School.

They have said there will be no "grandfathering" of students to allow them to stay at their existing high school in 2009-10.

A majority of candidates favored the splitting of students from their original high school, while only two, Michael Strick and Eric Hepburn, vocally opposed the move.

Others, such as Susan Rasmus, said it's too late to change course.

"The board has made the right decision on this. Once you start making exceptions, where do you stop?," Rasmus asked.

"I've talked to families and they're excited about it and doing their best. It's only fiscally responsible to stay on course."

Incumbent Cathy Piehl agreed, but added there may be some exceptions down the road.

"Changing now would not make sense because we already have progress in place," she said.

Strick questioned the progress being made with Metea only opening one classroom wing initially for freshmen and sophomores.

"All current freshmen who would have to switch schools would be hugely impacted," he said.

"I'm tired of hearing kids are resilient. It's unfair. Put yourself in their shoes."

Hepburn, though, said he has walked in their shoes when he was transferred to a new high school after his freshman year and said it made his high school experience "never seem right."

"I believe it's an interruption and a detriment to move midstream," he said.

"We need to keep the class of 2012 in their current schools."

Several other candidates said it's too early for that decision to be made with the 3,000-seat Metea Valley High School not opening until August.

"We really can't consider anything until we have more information about what we do. Currently, if you were to take the whole class and move it over, you'd have serious issues of overcrowding at the high school," said Jerry Huang.

Incumbent Chris Vickers said she has not agreed with the administration's decision to rule out "grandfathering" without talking to those who would be affected.

"It's got to depend on the numbers," she said. "I'd want to see who it affects and what space we have available before we make that decision."

Dawn DeSart said she has the numbers, though, and keeping the class of 2012 together won't work.

"We're going through the growing pains of a district with a new high school," she said.

"I think Waubonsie Valley's capacity is 3,000 students and the projection for 09-10 is that Waubonsie will have 3,150 (students), so I'm not sure change is possible."

Wednesday's forum, which was attended by fewer than 50 people, was the second of four opportunities to meet the candidates.