Dist. 301 defends plan for middle-school grade centers

Central Unit District 301 intends to convert its two middle schools to grade-level centers next year — meaning all kids in one grade will attend the same school.

The concept, prompted by declining enrollment at Central Middle School and increasing numbers at Prairie Knolls Middle School, drew hundreds of parents, students and teachers to public information sessions on Tuesday and this past Thursday.

Superintendent Todd Stirn said the change would enable the district to offer the same programs and classes to students that they currently have. If the district does nothing, he said, enrollment at Central will dwindle, threatening some programs and forcing some teachers to lead subjects outside their comfort zones.

“The programs that CMS will be able to offer will not be at the same level as (Prairie Knolls),” Stirn told parents. “The education will be impacted.”

He later said, “This is a longer-term solution than a boundary shift.”

The middle school changes are part of an overall plan that will save an estimated $500,000 and cut six to eight teachers — although Stirn stressed the middle school plan is driven by student enrollment, not budgetary concerns.

Under the plan, students in the sixth and seventh grades will attend Prairie Knolls in Elgin. Eighth-graders will go to Central in Burlington.

The plan received mixed reviews from District 301 residents who attended Tuesday’s heated meeting at Prairie Knolls, with some parents expressing concern that their kids would have fewer opportunities under the new system.

More than 20 middle school students were a vocal presence at the meeting. Some of them made signs to protest the move. One girl referred to the April 5 election, which will seat at least two new board members.

Others, though, said fears about grade-level centers were overblown. Plato Township mother Luann Sarro said parents and students enjoyed many benefits when District 301 implemented the grade-level concept for some lower grades a few years ago.

“The parent group becomes stronger because there’s more of them; the students meet more friends,” Sarro said. “My kids are still alive. They actually lived through grade-level centers.”

Dana Carlson, a District 301 elementary teacher from Sycamore, said, “The kids don’t get it. … The education is just not going to be as good (if the district does nothing).”

The District 301 school board will discuss and vote on portions of the plan on Monday at Burlington-Central High School.