Itasca school ready to welcome new principal, unveil classrooms

Along with their fresh school supplies, new fall clothes and more challenging books, students at Franzen Intermediate School in Itasca can expect two more big changes this year.

On Monday the school will welcome its new principal, Jeff Murphy, and unveil a new hallway built to connect portable classrooms to the main building.

State Rep. Dennis Reboletti, who aims to secure $100,000 in state funding to cover part of the construction of the $260,000 hallway, will lead ceremonies that start at 4:30 p.m.

"This hallway will help maximize student safety by keeping them out of the weather and inside the building at all times as they enter the portable classrooms," said Marcia Tornatore, Itasca District 10 superintendent.

The two handicap-accessible, oversized portable classrooms were brought to Franzen to help address growing enrollment and avoid future overcrowding, Tornatore said. The enrollment projections were made after the District 10 school board voted in 2008 to hire a company to examine Franzen's growth.

The portable units were secured for no charge by business manager Dan Aggen. Aggen said a school in Grayslake District 46 is planning an expansion and needed the mobile units removed from its property.

Art, music, reading specialists, English as a Second Language and other specialty classes will be based in the mobile units and Tornatore said teachers are thrilled with the change.

"They are delighted to have this large amount of space to work with students," she said.

New Principal Jeff Murphy said he is also thrilled to have his first chance to meet as many students and parents as possible at Monday evening's "Meet the Principal" event. Classes begin Wednesday.

"People will find I will be a visible leader," Murphy said. "It is important for me to know the students' names and work with the teachers. They will definitely be seeing me in the hallways."

Murphy was hired last February after teaching elementary grades for eight years in Bloomington, then serving as an assistant principal from 2006 to 2008 with Aptakisic-Tripp Community Consolidated School District 102 in Buffalo Grove.

As Franzen's new leader, Murphy said he hopes to continue the school's strong tradition of collaboration with the community.

Tornatore also is aiming to keep this tradition going as she continues a community newsletter launched last year. She plans to send out four issues in the 2009-10 school year for all District 10 residents, not just parents of students.

"We want to communicate effectively with all of the district's stakeholders," she said.

The newsletter will keep taxpayers informed of important developments in the district, including the eventual replacement of the mobile units for a building expansion. Aggen said this will be necessary eventually - since mobile classrooms have a shorter life span than a building - but any expansion is far off.

"We're in a very flat economic situation for increasing revenues, so until we are in a position to increase revenues and see more state funding, the mobile classrooms will remain," Aggen said.