Jan. 08--Alexander Brunk recently bought a house near Red Oak Elementary School in Highland Park with the idea that his 18-month-old daughter would someday be able to walk to school.
Brunk came to learn that his hope would be dashed by North Shore School District 112's consolidation plan, which proposes a new middle school campus where Red Oak and Sherwood elementary schools currently sit.
"I really feel this is a bad idea for this town," Brunk told the school board Tuesday night. "And I'll be very disappointed if the referendum passes."
Dozens of District 112 residents came out to Tuesday night's school board meeting to sound off on the district's plan to go from 12 to seven buildings, setting the stage for a dramatic vote next week.
The $196 million plan would require a $150 million bond issue, district officials have said. School board members are expected to decide at their Jan. 15 meeting whether to place that borrowing plan on the April ballot.
The majority of those who spoke at the meeting were opposed to the plan, citing concerns about the idea of a large middle school campus to house grades 5-8. Several said they stood with "CARE" -- a political committee called Citizens Against the District 112 Referendum.
The opposition group, which filed with the state last month, has called into question the educational impact of building "a big box school" and the financial benefit of the reconfiguration. It's also criticized the lack of a complete traffic study, despite anticipated increases in traffic around the proposed middle school campus.
"I understand the district's facing significant financial challenges," said Carla Arnell, member of the opposition group. "But ... a mega-middle school will only create other challenges -- one the district's children will pay for academically and behaviorally."
After the meeting, School Board Vice President Michael Cohn said the school board would continue to gather information, such as a completed traffic study, leading up to its vote next week.
As for the opposition at the meeting, Cohn said such a large-scale consolidation plan was bound to upset some residents.
"Unfortunately, this is going to touch all of us in different ways," Cohn said. "I understand their concerns."
Not all who spoke were opposed to the plan. Aaron Brooks, a Highland Park native and father of three children in the district's schools, said he recently moved his family back to Highland Park from Winnetka because of the quality of education.
"While people never like change, I would implore community members to keep their minds open," Brooks said. "We need to provide top-notch facilities to attract top-notch educators."
Under the district's plan, five buildings would serve kindergarten through fourth grade, including Edgewood, Indian Trail, Oak Terrace and a consolidated Northwood/Wayne Thomas. The fifth elementary school could be Braeside, per the consultant's recommendation, though Ravinia School parents have continued to oppose its closing.
The linchpin of the plan is the new middle school campus that would house two schools -- one for grades 5-6, the other for grades 7-8. Each grade would have about 500 students, school officials have said.
Despite the strong opposition at Tuesday's meeting, district officials have reported community support for the plan garnered through various community meetings and surveys.
The Superintendent's Citizens Finance and Facilities Advisory Committee, convened by former Superintendent David Behlow, studied the consolidation issue last year before making recommendations last spring.
The SCFFAC committee called for an architectural and engineering firm to study the possibility of both an eight- and a six-building model. The district currently has 12 buildings.
Representatives of Nagle Hartray, the architectural firm contracted by the district, have said the seven-school model is the most affordable model with the most educational potential.
Some members of the SCFFAC committee spoke in support of the plan at Tuesday's meeting, stressing the aging buildings and financial challenges faced by the district. Not addressing those problems will mean cuts to academic programming and staff, said Sara Sher, a former Edgewood teacher with a grandchild in the district.
"We need to support the proposed solution," Sher said. "We have no choice."
