Strike threatens opening of four District 62 schools

Des Plaines school officials are desperately looking for a temporary home for 700 Algonquin Middle School students, whose school will not be ready for opening on Aug. 23 due to the construction workers strike.

And if the strike isn't settled very soon, three other Des Plaines Elementary District 62 schools be uninhabitable on opening day, forcing the district find other places for nearly 2,000 students, Superintendent Jane Westerhold said Monday.

School districts all over the Northwest suburbs are growing anxious, as carefully timed construction projects lie dormant and the first day of school approaches. The construction workers strike has gone on for nearly a month.

But the most dire conditions appear to be in Des Plaines, where Algonquin Middle School won't be ready to open even if the unions make a deal with contractors today.

Westerhold said officials also have been scouting out temporary homes for the nearly 2,000 students from the four schools where construction is underway - Algonquin and Chippewa middle schools, Cumberland and Forest elementary schools.

There is no one place big enough to house them, she added.

"It's just a logistical nightmare," Westerhold said.

The $17 million Algonquin Middle School addition and renovation project is part of the district's $109 million master plan for upgrades to be done over the next three years in all 13 buildings.

"I am so saddened for our students and our community that had such great pride in the renovations and the master plan that was developed for the future," Westerhold said. "It's just heartbreaking to see where we are at this time."

Iroquois, the district's yearlong school, opened last week only because the district's maintenance staff worked to distribute gravel and get it ready for school to start, Westerhold said.

Of the four aging schools undergoing renovation now, all of them are getting an internal overhaul and upgraded infrastructure - new heating and ventilation systems, fire alarms, sprinkler systems and lights, reconfiguring classrooms, painting and building additions.

Westerhold said parents have not been told of the current situation and will be notified this week once a contingency plan is in place.

"We don't have an identified definite plan at this point in time," she said. "We were hopeful that some nonstriking workers would work. We just did not want to alarm parents unnecessarily until we had more information."

District officials have discussed trying to cut a separate waiver agreement with construction workers similar to what Naperville Unit District 203 and DuPage High School District 88 have done to get their construction projects restarted. Both those districts agreed to use only union construction labor for a fixed number of years in exchange.

The District 62 school board was likely to discuss that option at Monday night's meeting.

"We have legal counsel involved in that," Westerhold said. "But that would not guarantee that we would be able to start school on time, even if we had one of those agreements because people on the other end are still on strike.

Even if everybody came back, they might not have the materials that they need."

Raymond Prokop of Wight & Co,, construction manager for District 62's four school projects, said in his 30 years dealing with labor unions "this is probably the worst strike that I've seen."

"This is kind of unprecedented what's happening," Prokop told the school board.

The district has lost 17 construction days. Prokop said even nonstriking union workers won't cross picket lines.

"We're pretty much dead in the water here," he said. "Algonquin will not make it for sure. Schools being ready for the first day of school is in serious jeopardy."

School board President Brenda Murphy asked district staff members to continue doing what they have been doing to prepare for school opening.

The administration will meet with the staff next week to discuss a contingency plan, which will likely be unveiled at a special board meeting Monday, July 26.

District officials have not changed the school calendar as yet, but parents are getting nervous.

"This is just going to put our school year up in arms," said Julie Kapustka, parent of a Chippewa sixth-grader. "I'm a single mom, a working parent - what am I supposed to do if school doesn't start on time."

Kapustka said there is no summer school for parents to fall back on. "Even if they started tomorrow, there's no way they'll get done," she added.

In other Northwest suburban school districts:

• Harper College: Has $8 million in construction projects ongoing, including replacement of air-conditioning chillers and classroom renovations. The trike is affecting the delivery and installation of rooftop equipment and roofing work, but classes, due to start Aug. 23, won't be delayed. Harper planned to work on roadways and parking lots this summer, but those projects are on hold for now.

• Oakton Community College: No current projects.

• Palatine Township Elementary District 15: Redoing Winston Campus parking lot is held up by strike; it's expected to take only two weeks, so officials hope it'll get done by start of school Aug. 25.

• Prospect Heights District 23: No projects.

• Arlington Heights Elementary District 25: Projects being done with in-house employees. Schools open Aug. 26.

• River Trails Elementary District 26: The only project affected is Euclid School, which is getting a new roof and new drains. The roof will be done, but the drains may not be and may empty out onto the grass when school opens on Aug. 25. River Trails Middle School is getting new doors and won't be affected.

• Elgin Area U-46: No projects.

• Schaumburg Township Elementary District 54: Summer maintenance projects under way at several schools, but the only ones affected by strike are paving projects. Work might still be done by Aug. 24 opening, but district says even if not, maintenance people will make every building usable by then.

• Mount Prospect Elementary District 57: Westbrook School is getting new carpet, door frames, paint and updated bathrooms, none affected by strike. First day is Aug. 25.

• Elk Grove Township Elementary District 59: New teachers lounge, nurse's office and main office at Rupley School will be complete by the time school begins Aug. 25, district says. Eight-classroom addition to Juliette Low School that began in November 2009 is also on schedule.

• East Maine District 63: Schools will start on time on Aug. 24; strike might affect final landscaping projects outside each building.

• Kildeer-Countryside Elementary District 96: Strike will not prevent schools opening Aug. 18. One gymnasium is being remodeled at Ivy Hall School in Buffalo Grove, but the school has a second gym. At Country Meadows in Long Grove, two bilingual classrooms are being remodeled, but other space is available; at Kildeer-Countryside in Long Grove some bathrooms are being remodeled.

• Aptakisic-Tripp School District 102: School will start Aug. 19. All four schools in the district and the district office are undergoing minor infrastructure improvements on their roofs and electrical systems, none affected by the strike. Schools have been painted and the blacktop resurfaced.

• Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211: No major construction projects; minor work, like locker replacement and refinishing floors, not held up. School starts Aug. 25.

• Northwest Suburban High School District 214: Contingency plan is to divert all workers to priority projects as soon as strike ends; priorities are classrooms and entrance at Hersey High School; classrooms at Buffalo Grove High School and student service area at Rolling Meadows High School. No change so far to planned Aug. 25 opening date. District will hold a meeting Wednesday to discuss situation and make a public update after that.

• Barrington Area Unit District 220: Completion of the new Early Learning Center at Barrington Middle School-Prairie Campus is held up by strike. If it's not ready, the old Woodland Early Learning Center in Carpentersville can be used. First day for grades 1-12 is Aug. 24; kindergarten and prekindergarten classes including ELC begin Aug. 30.