April 26, 2004 Meeting Recap (Posted April 27, 2004)
»Public Meetings info archives
At the April 26, 204 Student Facilities Workshop, numerous participants either spoke or filled out comment/question cards. Below are the comments (similar ones have been combined). Where the district has information to add, a response is posted along with the comment. (posted April 27, 2004)
Comment: Why is D41 considering MTYRE?
Response: D41 is exploring MTYRE as a possible solution to over-crowded schools. D41 is doing due-diligence by getting data on a wide array of options so that the community can intelligently weigh choices. D41 has not made any decisions.
Click here to see summaries of various options that have been explored for building new space.
Comment: MTYRE will hurt home values.
Comment: MTYRE will affect the whole community.
Response: MTYRE will have an impact on the park district, the library, the YMCA, school districts 87 and 89, summer activities, summer jobs, and many other aspects of our community. Districts that implement MTYRE must work closely with all those entities.The handout D41 distributed at the meeting attempts to summarize many of these issues.
Comment: The district has not done its homework and there are too many unanswered questions…many other communities have experimented with MTYRE so we should be finding out their perspectives.
Response: D41 is continuing to gather data on this and other options.
Comment: What are the costs or savings associated with MTYRE?
Response: Some of the costs are installing air conditioning, increased utility costs, increased busing, all-year staffing, increased time spent on scheduling and logistics, increased maintenance costs and storage costs. The savings are mainly in comparison to the costs of building new space.
Comment: What is the enrollment projection for 2008? If enrollment continues to increase, in what year will multi-tracking cease to be an adequate solution for the student population? What then?
Response: Our projections show enrollment in 2008 at 3583 students and 3577 in 2012. Our current enrollment as of March 26 is 3496 students. We are housing four classrooms in portables and two Pre-K classrooms at the Park District. Assuming MTYRE can accommodate 33% more students, we would not exceed that capacity in the foreseeable future.
Comment: What about families with more than one child?
Response: We’re told that MTYRE districts usually have a policy to try to put students from the same family on the same track unless the families prefer otherwise.
Comment: What about families with children in more than one district?
Response: Since D41 is not a unit district, this would affect families with children in high school.
Comment: What is the educational impact? What studies talk about this?
Response: D41 is exploring how MTYRE works as a space-usage strategy. However, proponents of year-round education point to studies showing a reduction in summer learning loss, although not all educators agree. There are also opportunities for enrichment and remediation during the inter-sessions. Summer learning is traditionally more than academic and there is a concern that children would have less opportunity for summer camp, family activities and unstructured time.
Comment: What do our teachers think about it?
Response: As a group, our teachers have not stated a position. However, individual teachers have expressed many of the same questions that our community has—what would the impact be on our students, the quality of our schools and community.
Comment: If D41 is the only district to implement this, it would not be enough to influence the park district to change its programming, since District 89 and District 87 are on traditional schedules.
Comment: What would be the impact on extra-curriculars?
Response: This is one of the issues that requires a lot of scheduling effort and some are more difficult to accommodate than others. At this exploratory stage, D41 has not done the scheduling simulations necessary to predict all these issues.
Comment: How does local law enforcement keep track of kids who are supposed to be in school?
Response: Attendance problems are dealt with cooperatively by school personnel, county attendance officers and parents.
Comment: Why can’t we put students in park district buildings since the park district uses our gyms? Have you considered the cooperative use of the former schools now owned by the Park District, specifically Spring Avenue? What year was that building sold?
Response: The park district contributed significantly toward our gym additions. We do house two Pre-Kindergarten classes at the Park District Main St. facility. We consult with them frequently on possible cooperation on space issues. Glen Oak School on Spring Avenue was sold to the Park District in 1982.
Comment:How would this affect required state standardized tests?
Response: The state has an extension process for the testing dates that can accommodate the needs of a multi-track system.
Comment: I support the idea of year-round school and don’t think it would negatively impact education. Are there any facts that state a negative impact? Has anyone looked into the British education system which is year-round and is a great system? The district should stress the need for an open mind.
Comment: Please make this decision quickly. Please take it off the table for consideration.
Response: A thorough study of our options includes exploring unpopular avenues. We don't want to shortchange the process.
Comment: How much money will be spent to study MYTRE? Is it worth studying?
Response: Most of the costs are the time of administrators. Board members are unpaid elected volunteers. But in the larger sense, essential activities involved with strategic planning do carry some costs, which are anticipated and budgeted for.
Comment: Our teachers are among our strongest assets ... what turnover have other MTYRE districts experienced?
Comment: Can we change the dollars that each household pays in taxes so everyone pays the same percentage?
Response: D41 has no influence on tax law. However, tax dollars are calculated on dollars per $100 of equalized assessed valuation, so they are based on value of the property.
How are board members elected and what are their terms?
Response: Click here for that information.
Comment: What schools will be receiving portables? What about the option of adding on to existing schools?
Response: Currently, Forest Glen and Lincoln each have one two-classroom unit. In the fall, we will add a four-classroom unit at both Churchill and Hadley. The district is looking at numerous building options, including additions. |
