At their January 21st meeting, District 21’s Board of Education continued a discussion on potential expenditure reductions for Fiscal Year 2010-2011.  In addition to eight (8) items presented to the Board’s Finance Committee in December, the Board reviewed two new items for their consideration:

• A switch from a Neighborhood Schools Philosophy at District 21’s current Kindergarten – 5th Grade schools to Grade Level Attendance Centers.
• Closing one current Kindergarten – 5th Grade school and dispersing its current student population to other surrounding District 21 Kindergarten – 5th Grade schools.

Grade Level Attendance Centers
The analysis presented to the Board of Education by the Administration created Grade Level Attendance Centers (GLACs) within each of the current elementary pods that feed each of District 21’s Middle Schools.  For example, the Kindergarten – 5th Grade Elementary Schools that feed into Holmes Middle School [Frost, Twain and Whitman] would be converted to a structure that included one school becoming a Kindergarten – 1st Grade Attendance Center, one school becoming a 2nd Grade – 3rd Grade Attendance Center and one school becoming a 4th Grade to 5th Grade Attendance Center.  This type of structure has its advantages and disadvantages. 

• The advantages provide economies of scale in eliminating large discrepancies in class sizes with a corresponding reduction in teaching staff and providing an environment that would more easily accommodate changes in enrollment. 
• The disadvantages include multiple transitions for students between schools and increased transportation costs.  A rough estimate of annual cost savings was provided at $375,000, however, a comprehensive study of transportation routing would be required to firm up that number.

Closing a Neighborhood School
Another cost saving option presented by the Administration to the Board of Education was a proposal to close an existing Kindergarten – 5th Grade Neighborhood school.  The proposal provided an example of the cost savings that might be achieved with closing a low enrollment school and dispersing that student population into other Kindergarten – 5th Neighborhood schools that have existing space in current classroom configurations.  This would once again tap economies of scale through a reduction of teaching staff, support staff and administrative staff as well as supplies, materials and utilities costs.  However, by dispersing that student population to other schools, transportation costs would increase and need a comprehensive study to determine an exact impact on the potential savings.  Including a rough estimate for transportation, the annual estimated savings amounted to $650,000.

The Board of Education discussed both items at length and recognized that with transportation cost estimates unreliable without a complete and comprehensive study and that the process to undertake either option could not be implemented for Fiscal Year 2010-2011, neither option is viable for its current discussions and referred both options back to the Board of Education’s Finance Committee for further review.

The Board of Education then discussed eight (8) other options that had previously shared with the Board’s Finance Committee and briefly reviewed at their December meeting. Those options can be found on the District 21 website here.  No decisions on the options were considered by the Board at that time and the Board subsequently took public commentary on the items.  The focus of the public comments overwhelmingly supported to keep class sizes at their current levels and to maintain extra-curricular programs in place.

The Board of Education will continue its review of District 21’s financial situation at a Special Board Meeting to be held at London Middle School on February 11, 2010 at 7.00 PM.  The Board of Education will once again during that meeting take public commentary on the district’s finances and its potential solutions to providing deficit budget relief for Fiscal Year 2010-2011.