Dist. 300 tells worried parents it’s holding off on new block schedule

An unpopular proposal to reduce the number of credits high school students in Community Unit District 300 earn per year is in limbo as bargaining teams for the district and its teachers union near an agreement.

School board President Anne Miller told concerned parents, teachers and students at Monday’s board meeting that the board is holding off on shifting to a three-by-four block schedule at the district’s three high schools.

“We are hoping that we don’t have to come to that decision,” Miller said.

Superintendent-elect Michael Bregy and the leadership team have presented three plans for restructuring secondary school schedules to improve the education program while also saving the district money.

The first option, which the district is considering as a one-year, short-term plan, would save the district between $2.4 million and $4.5 million. However, the three-by-four block schedule would also limit students to six credits per year — or 24 credits in four years — and result in up to 130 teachers losing their jobs.

Monica O’Neill, who represented a group of concerned parents, students and teachers from Dundee-Crown High School, told board members that the switch would be devastating to high school students.

“We know that the proposed changes would leave our children unprepared for life after their time in District 300, whether it is college, vocational school, the military or any career path they choose,” said O’Neill, president of Dundee-Crown Parents of Music Performers. “We need to ensure our graduates are well-rounded individuals with exposure to academic opportunities as well as the arts and electives.”

The district’s current four-by-four block schedule allows up to eight credits per year.

In a letter to community members last week, Bregy and the board addressed concerns.

“The three-block model would be a short-term plan for the next school year to address the immediate need of a balanced budget,” the letter said. “It should not affect students’ competitiveness or college entry or readiness for entry into the working world.”

Bregy acknowledged that some students would need to make a choice when selecting elective courses but said the changes would not affect graduation requirements.

The district may be forced to go to a three-by-four block schedule in the fall unless the board can achieve roughly $5.2 million in wage and benefit concessions from the teachers union.

Miller said the district negotiators and representatives from LEAD 300 — the teachers union — are working through some significant language issues but that both sides are “great advocates.”

“We are close,” Miller said. “We are not $83,000 close, but we are not $4 million far away, either.”

The two sides are scheduled to meet on Tuesday, with another date slated for Thursday, if needed.

LEAD 300 President Kolleen Hanetho said she was hopeful the teams would reach an agreement soon.

“We will continue to work with the district to protect the integrity of the education of students in District 300,” Hanetho said.