Despite pleas from parents and charges of a “done deal,” the Glen Ellyn District 41 board has agreed to change the boundaries dividing Franklin and Lincoln Schools and those between Forest Glen and Churchill Schools.
The move, which begins in the 1994-95 school year, will alleviate overcrowding by sending 60 pupils in the area bounded by Hill Avenue, Main Street, Fairview Avenue and Park Boulevard from Franklin School to Lincoln School. About 50 pupils in the district’s northeast corner will transfer from Churchill School to Forest Glen School.
“I don’t think the board feels what we’re doing is reducing class size,” said board member Kathy Schmidt. “We want to alleviate overcrowding in schools’ common areas, where there are some safety concerns.”
In its action Monday night, the board fine-tuned many other aspects of the boundary change proposals. For example, in response to the concerns of some of the 125 parents who attended a public hearing Oct. 25, district administrators are offering affected pupils entering 5th grade-the final grade in Glen Ellyn’s elementary schools-to attend the school in their current boundary area or the school in the new boundary.
And the board guaranteed that pupils moved involuntarily will remain at their new schools for the remainder of their years in District 41.
Also, for financial reasons, the board decided not to install portable classrooms at Forest Glen School, pursuing instead permanent additions to the building. Supt. Pi Irwin said safety tests at Franklin School, the district’s other building with portable classrooms, have not shown the structures to be dangerous, despite complaints that the portable units have posed an air problem at Franklin. Testing of the portable classrooms will continue, she said.
Irwin said the district will attempt to ease the adjustment of transferred pupils by placing them together in classes at their new schools. Additionally, District 41 will share some staff members, such as the school nurse and the fine arts teacher, between Forest Glen and Churchill Schools and between Lincoln and Franklin Schools.
Board member Larry Oldfield cast the lone dissenting vote against the boundary changes. Although Oldfield was not up for election Tuesday, four of the board’s seven seats were, and he said such a politically volatile issue should be decided by a new board.
“Have you ever tried to nail Jell-O to a tree?” he asked. “That’s how binding tonight’s vote was. We could undo this next week.”
Other board members said their experience and familiarity with boundary studies qualified them to make the decision.
“This board has had the background and experience and has heard enough public comment to decide this issue,” said outgoing board President Genie Ramsey. “To implement changes for the 1994-95 school year, the board needs to authorize the moves now.”
Oldfield also criticized the moves in light of a referendum District 41 is considering next spring to increase taxes.
“This decision is like shooting yourself in the foot,” he said. “We should take this vote next year, after a referendum passes. The last thing we should want to do before a referendum is anger the parents of 110 of our students.”
Parent organizer Keith Cudmore, who represents the parents of children in the area that now falls within Lincoln School’s boundaries, reiterated that the board did not need to act so quickly. Because projected enrollment increases for 1994-95 are not drastic, the district should give the issue more study, he said.
“If this board can’t prove to us why they need these boundary changes, how will they prove to us that they need this referendum next spring?” Cudmore asked.
