The Indian Prairie School District 204 Board of Education unanimously approved new boundary adjustments after months of discussion. The update is a revised version of the administration recommended proposal first introduced December 20.
New Revisions, Familiar Details
The revisions were introduced Monday before being put to vote at a board meeting on the same day. But school administration said those who have followed this process will be familiar with what they see.
“This administrative proposal combines, overall, what was found to be good from the boundary committee of the other two concepts,” district superintendent Dr. Adrian Talley said.
The revised proposal impacts less students at the elementary and middle school level. It also removes the broken elementary to middle school feeders at Georgetown and Kendall Elementary Schools, and the broken middle school to high school feeder at Crone Middle School. It works toward a more even balance between the remaining feeders as well, according to administration.
They said balances of enrollment and demographics are also improved, with a continued goal of 2,700 students at each high school. Board members seemed happy with the adjustments overall.
“It’s not going to be perfect. Not everyone is going to go to the closest school,” board member Mark Rising said. “But I can guarantee you, having been in this district for 27 years myself, this is about the best solution that we’ve had in the last 12 years of where people are attending schools.”
Community Concerns
The adjustment didn’t come without pushback. 22 people spoke during public comment, all representing the Ashwood Park subdivision and the Ponds at Ashwood Park South community. The approved proposal groups these communities together to attend Peterson Elementary, Crone Middle School, and Waubonsie Valley High School.
“My overall concern with the administration recommendation proposal that was introduced just today, without time for the community to completely analyze and weigh in, is that it still leaves Ashwood Park students with broken feeders from elementary to middle school and from middle school to high school,” Ashwood Park parent Alicia Klinko said.
Others voiced concerns over traffic and commute times, as well as student social emotional health issues resulting from school changes.
While the board said they had taken the concerns into consideration, they ultimately moved forward without further adjustment.
“It is just not possible to create a solution that makes everyone happy,” board president Laurie Donahue said. “We don’t have a perfect proposal, but it moves us in the right direction, and provides broad grandfathering options.”
Grandfathering Option
Those options give rising fifth graders, rising seventh and eighth graders, and rising sophomores, juniors and seniors the option to either move to their newly assigned school or stay at their current school.
Transportation for grandfathered students will not be guaranteed, but the district said it will do what it can to provide it wherever possible. Families will be notified by spring break of any transportation provisions. However parents need to make a decision on grandfathering by February 11.
The boundary adjustments will be implemented in the 2022-2023 school year.
Naperville News 17’s Casey Flanagan reports.
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