District 25 plans community meetings to discuss growing enrollment
Arlington Heights Elementary District 25 will hold five community meetings at four of its schools over the next month to discuss what officials said is an overcrowding issue and hear from parents about possible ways to deal with the growing enrollment.
Officials have said all of the district's school are "at capacity." Enrollment at four district schools - Ivy Hill, Olive-Mary Stitt, Westgate and Windsor - has been increasing for a few years, despite predictions to the contrary.
The issue came to a head this fall when Ivy Hill had to hire a teacher just a week before school was scheduled to start to accommodate the influx of students.
The district has more than 230 more students this year than it did in 2008, Jake Chung, assistant superintendent for personnel and planning, said during a board discussion. Ivy Hill has 31 more students than last year. Olive-Mary Stitt has 33 more students, Westgate has 12 more and Windsor school 17 more.
Administrators presented the problem to the school board earlier this month and said they hope to give the board options and cost estimates for solutions by March. Talking to parents is the first step, they said.
"We want as much input and as many minds brainstorming about this as we can," said Superintendent Lori Bein. "We will hear everybody's viewpoints and then, as an administration, pull those ideas and input together and determine what options are best for District 25."
Whether those options include building an expansion at an overcrowded school, putting students in mobile classrooms, changing school boundaries, or something else, Bein wouldn't yet pinpoint. She said she hopes the meetings will create a wish list from parents for what kind of school environment they hope students will have.
Parents can RSVP online or let the district know if those meeting dates won't work by logging on to www.sd25.org/.