Lake Zurich school boundary plans to be unveiled tonight

After months of secrecy involving plans to consolidate Lake Zurich Unit District 95's six elementary schools into five, parents and the school board will get their first look tonight at new boundary options.

The redistricting, which will result in closing Charles Quentin Elementary School in Palatine this fall, was prompted by projections of declining student enrollment, the age and condition of Quentin School and its repair cost, and other district buildings being underused.

Since June, an advisory boundary study committee has developed 25 options, two of which will be presented to the school board tonight. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in Lake Zurich High School's Performing Arts Center, 300 Church St.

District 95 Superintendent Brian Knutson will make the final recommendation at the meeting. No details will be released until then, officials said.

"We tried to inform everyone as best we can that this recommendation is going to take place," District 95 spokesman Jim Jennings said. "We didn't want people to prejudge it before it ever gets there."

Parents may ask questions at the meeting but won't get answers that night. Public hearings are scheduled for Jan. 28, Feb. 3 and 9 before the board votes on the final boundary option Feb. 26.

Little is known about how students will be assigned. What is known is students forced to change schools will not have the option of being "grandfathered" into their current school because of limited flexible space at the five elementary buildings.

Under the recommendation being reviewed, Quentin's roughly 373 students in kindergarten through fifth grade would be split between Isaac Fox and May Whitney schools.

Also, the district has to resolve density issues at Sarah Adams, which could draw roughly 650 children who would walk to school but has capacity for only about 490 students. Some of those students may have to be bused to a different elementary school.

"We know that there is no good solution to this issue," school board President Kathy Brown said. "So the board needs to look at all of the information and determine what is the best solution for a difficult issue."

The committee did not recommend any significant boundary changes for the two middle schools as existing boundaries adequately balance enrollment between North and South, with room for more students at both schools.

May Whitney Elementary School will see its student population split between the two middle schools.