District 204 is moving its alternative high school program.
Indian Plains High School is the current home of District 204’s alternative high school students, but come the start of the 2019 school year, those students will be moving into Wheatland School.
The change comes following a school board decision in September 2017 to demolish and sell Indian Plains instead of paying over $1.5 million to repair it, and the purchase of a new building for the operations and maintenance department which currently uses Wheatland as its home.
“Pending purchase of an operations and maintenance building on Shore Road, we’re now in position to convert Wheatland back to a school and find use for students,” said Jay Strang, chief school business official for District 204.
Conversion of Wheatland into the district’s new alternative high school will cost about $315,000.
While board members are happy to have a new location for those students, there are some lingering concerns about Wheatland.
Chief amongst them is water quality. Wheatland has a private well, and while it’s safe to drink, its smell and taste is undesirable compared to city water.
Currently, the district supplies bottled water at the cost of $5,300 per year.
“I’m still concerned we’re bringing bottled water in there. It’s a fine temporary solution, but I don’t think it’s a good long-term solution,” said board member Mark Rising.
A potential solution to the water issue would be to hook into the city’s water supply, though the district would have to pay for the hook up itself.
Naperville News 17’s Blane Erwin reports.
