More support for fewer changes in District 300
At the last of three public hearings on proposed middle and high school boundary changes, parents in Community Unit District 300 continued to support the idea of grandfathering students.
That means students already attending a high school would be able to stay there -- and younger students may be allowed to attend the same high school as their older siblings.
District 300 board members said they would consider some form of grandfathering, but it's not yet clear how much this would alter enrollment numbers at each of the schools.
About 50 District 300 parents came to Jacobs High School in Algonquin on Saturday to view maps and descriptions of the three boundary proposals and enter their feedback in the public record.
Ben Albano, a sophomore at Jacobs, said he wants to stay at his high school, where he'll be a varsity football player next season.
"I'm so involved in the high school. I don't want to be taken out of what I'm already in," he said.
In all three of the plans, the West Dundee resident would be moved to Hampshire High School.
"The only way to stay would be grandfathering or school of choice," Albano said.
If Albano disliked the three proposals equally, then Matthew Hall liked the three plans equally. Hall, an Algonquin resident, will be a freshman in the upcoming school year and would attend Jacobs in all three plans.
"He wanted to make sure he was safe," his mother, Barbara, said.
As with the two previous hearings, a transcript of the comments made at Saturday's hearing will be provided to District 300 school board members.
If you missed the public hearings or have something more to say, there's still time.
The school board plans to hold a work session on the proposed boundaries Saturday and vote on the maps at its Jan. 28 meeting.
Until the vote, you can send your comments and questions to district spokeswoman Allison Smith at allison.smith@d300.org.
You can view the maps and descriptions of all three proposals online at www.d300.org/web/attendanceboundarycommittee.