Kilmer's modular classroom to relocate from basketball courts, playground work put on temporary hold

After a re-evaluation, the district will house the modular structure at Kilmer Elementary School along the extended staff parking lot on the northeast corner of the campus

The former site of the modular structure for Kilmer

The modular structure to be installed at Kilmer Elementary School in time for the 2024-2025 school year will no longer be housed on the basketball courts to the southwest of the school, and instead will be relocated to the extended staff parking lot on the northeast corner of the campus, according to Micheal DeBartolo, assistant superintendent for finance and operations/CSBO.

The move came as the district re-evaluated the ideal location for the structure.

Community Consolidated School District 21 in May announced plans to add the four-classroom structure to Kilmer’s campus as a result of the ongoing increases in enrollment, varied programming needs and the resulting shortage of available instructional space. The current plan is to use the modular classroom space during the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 academic years while the solution to the space and enrollment needs is determined.

The district has already re-filed its zoning permits for the new space with the Village of Buffalo Grove, which will consider them during its July board meeting. The site work will be completed upon those permissions being granted, with the site ready to receive the modular structure by July 22. District officials will then move into the structure following installation for further electrical, plumbing, security and technology enhancements to get it ready for staff. Kilmer’s fifth-grade students will occupy the space.

The revised timeline will unfortunately delay the installation of the new playground at the school, which was also set to go in over the summer. However, the playground is still scheduled to be installed during the first half of the school year, likely in the early to mid-fall.

“We want to make sure the playground is delivered this year for a number of reasons, the most compelling of which is that we want the students to have the experiences we promised them for the new school year, and the playground was a major part of those experiences,” DeBartolo said.