Dist. 21 voters make emphatic statement in support of schools

On behalf of the Board of Education, administration, professional educators, support staff and most of all, the students in Wheeling CCSD 21, a huge thank you to our community for the turn out and support on Election Day!

While other areas across the Chicago suburbs and Illinois may have similarly supported their local school districts by passing rate increases or bond referendums, none can match the overwhelming support of 73 percent of the voting community expressing their support right here in Wheeling 21.

Over the past year plus, our District 21 leadership team in conjunction with our amazing professional and support staff undertook an expansive community engagement process to find out what could be improved upon for the children. Hundreds of community members participated via surveys, in person or by phone interviews and in person in numerous forums.

The result was the Design21 recommendation that indicated that security enhancements, air conditioning as part of 21st century learning environments and full-day kindergarten were the top three issues that were desired.

With the help of our entire District 21 team - administrators, teachers and support staff - we shared a compelling vision for the district with a comprehensive plan to accomplish that vision. Our parents, led by a steering committee of "five moms," brought that vision to the community through their advocacy efforts. The community responded in this incredibly gratifying manner. Thank you!

Please stay tuned and engaged and see the vision become the reality! Thank you all for your support!

Phil Pritzker, president

Board of Education