300-400 residents of Homestead were at the Boundary Forum. I would like to kindly ask the Patch to update the information in this article. Thank you very much. Jill Ko, resident of Homestead area

Jill. I changed it to hundreds. Thank you for the help!

Steven, Thank you kindly for updating the information from dozens, and thank you very much for the coverage of the Forum. Jill Ko

I attended the forum last night. I do not blame the Homestead parents for being upset. I would be too, if I were in their shoes.

I am concerned about the students who have special services. The special services is next to last on the list of priorities on what is being used to make the decisions on what the boundaries will be.These are the students that need consistency from year to year, and those students have never gotten that from this school district or the Kendall County Cooperative. The programs, and what schools they will be in, has changed nearly every year since I have lived here, which is six years.

The special services students are the students who have the most difficult time with change. Constantly making them change schools hinders their abilities to be able to succeed in school. Many times they also have new teachers who don't know them, and have a whole new school that they have to try to fit into. This district and the Cooperative do not give enough importance to trying to keep the ISP and LSP programs consistent from year to year.

Also, the district and the Cooperative need to be open and honest about what their intentions are for these students. It's not right to spring changes on them just before the school year begins. I had to find out about changes from another Parent last year, and that is unacceptable.

The meeting was full and heated. I think everyone had some good points but there was a lot of attacks on the committee on their effort ,info changes.although some points were valid I think you get more bees with honey. This group has been working for several weeks long hours. They all have kids too imagine taking all that time away from your family to have people imply your efforts aren't good enough. I heard people say its too fast. It's been weeks. Someone implied homestead was a small group is that why they are being picked on? Really hundreds of people is NOT a small group. I am not trying to down play anyone's concerns but 300 people saying the same thing over and over doesn't give new in sight. Everyone who has been in the district knows change is needed and we have made moved we don't understand or agree with but moves are needed and I do hope everyone's children are ok and work through whatever is changed.

I'm confused. Parents are upset about overcrowding yet no one wants to go to Murphy to help ease overcrowding. I guess the only solution is not to open Murphy and have our schools overcrowded. What other solution can be offered? It seems that no one wants to go to Murphy. No matter what neighborhood is chosen to be moved, people are going to be unhappy. So, deal with overcrowding...oh wait, isn't that what parents were unhappy to start with?

Is it possible to make EVERYONE happy in this process?

Sally, thank you for speaking up about the kids in the special services programs. While my special needs daughter is only in kindergarten and hasn't gone through the process of being bounced from year to year, I have spoken with several special needs parents that this has happened to. Those children need stability more than anyone.
While I was unable to attend the forum, I was told that the parents from Prescott Mill suggested that the special services programs from Churchill be moved so that their children can stay at Churchill. What makes the special needs children who reside in the subdivision within walking distance from the school any less important than their children who don't reside in the subdivision?
No matter what, something has to change. The schools are overcrowded and all students are being affected by that.
I certainly appreciate the work that was done by the committee. I can not imagine what they have endured the past few months.
I simply hope that the Board of Education studies the information presented to them and makes appropriate decisions, keeping the best interest of all students in mind.

Just my point - no matter what gets decided, there will always be people unhappy, let alone those who like to complain just becuase they like to complain.

That was 2 hours of my life that I'd like to get back. lol Had the district listed listed the students impacted on the map listed on the website, like they had on the graphic at the meeting, I could have been home with my kids instead of wasting my time there. Heaven knows I'm going to need more time at home working with my kids once they dump more children into Prairie Point. Those class sizes are bound to rise once Morgan Crossing and Deerpath Trails arrive.

I'd like to thank the one MC parent who spoke up in support of keeping her children at Hunt Club. She might be the only one who realizes that being closer to home won't matter much when your child's class size is increased rather substantially.

Some schools are definitely going to have to change, but let's not exclude some schools just because that school is next door to a Middle School. In reality the community for that school may also be much closer to the new Junior High than any other community. Other than the proximity of the Elementary and Middle Schools, there is no valid reason for excluding that group entirely. This is too difficult a decision to let emotion be the guide - if this plan makes sense financially (including transportation), is safe, is right for the long term growth of the district and reduces the need for future boundary changes, then so be it. However, I don't know that we can say that based on what has been shown so far.

Providing our children with the education and school experience that they need to be successful is the primary goal we should be looking to achieve.

To Maureen if you have followed this since the beginning there has been many different options that have been changed and re changed by the committee based on public comment. It is also my understanding this is the recommendation but there are other choices for review. I could be wrong. I have lived here since 1996 when you move into a booming area you need to not only expect change but accept it. I would be happier if my children were moving on a big pack rather then a few. So the fight isn't isolating kids it's uniting them in this change at least for homestead.

The problem here is that I believe that there is a great deal of animosity built up to the current elected board. The current School Board President had no experience as a School Board Member prior to his joining during the last election and yet now as a novice, he is sitting in charge of a school district of 17,000 + students.

Additionally, some of the decisions that have been made or are being contemplated by the board make it very difficult to believe that the board does have the students and the fiscal well being of the district in mind. While the third high school was not popular among many existing Oswego homes, the referendum did pass for the construction costs of that building and other projects and now the plan has been altered to just add on to the existing two high schools.

While the economy and expansion have dropped in our community since the referendum was passed, there is no reason not to expect that we will not grow again needing that extra building. I doubt an additional referendum will pass in the future when the board asks for money again based on their past performance.
The short term view being taken by the Board in many matters and by the Boundary committee are exacerbating the already poor view of the way the School District is being run.
Based on the number of people that voted in the last election for school board, hopefully the community will see what is transpiring and get out and vote and take part in the election next go around.

I heard one brave women mention temporary structures as a solution. Why are we not discussing this? If you asked the parents of kids who are slated to move schools if they would prefer to move schools or have their child in a temporary classroom, what do you think they would choose? This is much more economical than busing and could keep 99% of us happy.

Temporary Classrooms - As a resident of Homestead area, I wholeheartedly support temporary classrooms at Bednarcik Junior High. Homestead students and Bednarcik 6th and 7th grade students of Homestead area can go/stay at Bednarcik Junior High instead of enduring the 40-60 minute bus ride EACH WAY every morning and every afternoon to Murphy Junior High. That is 1 hour and 20 minutes to 2 hours on the bus EVERY DAY. As adults, would we want to endure that. That is time spent on the bus instead of doing homework, playing with friends, participating in after-school activities, and spending time with the family. There is no day care options available for any of the students. Students and families will not be able to participate in some after-school activities. Homestead area is the MOST northeast area of Oswego308 school district, and Murphy Junior High is the MOST southern area of the Oswego East High School boundary. My daughter was in a temporary classroom in kindergarten at Old Post Elementary when we first moved here. I actually liked the temporary classroom better, and my daughter was very happy with the experience. Everyone, please kindly consider temporary classrooms as a much better alternative than the incredibly long bus ride and the detrimental effects that will have on the students and families.

Good morning; I would like to thank evryone for attending last night's open forum to discuss the proposed boundary committee recommendation. This has been an exciting experience noting the full degree of transperency during the past eight weeks, not two, to develop our recommendation.

You need to understand some basic facts that have not been commonly known throughout the process. First, we convened this committee prior to the Christmas holiday to begin the planning and detailed data review of the statistics we were provided. Second, the current board did not decide to open Murphy until the first meeting after the holiday in January, thus holding this dedicated group of volunteeers to have to wait for them to make a decision. This simple act is an example of the board's inability to make a decision no matter how much data was provided to them beforehand. Surprising, the Board President originally voted Yes to open Murphy then immediately changed his vote to No, once he calculated that four votes were cast for opening, a majority, and his vote didn't matter. The vote to open Murphy ended 4-3, with Pasteris, Walsh and Swanson voting against this.

The other issue that is not being publicized is that the board allowed their bonding authority to lapse and thus put a stranglehold on this district for the next several years. The previous board had both the third high school and an additional elementary school on the docket. This is a board inexperience issue!

This was a very passionate public forum last night from many neighborhoods being represented. Homestead made some very valid points and where re-stated with almost everyone who spoke on behalf of Homestead. But we must also remember those same points of longer bus rides, issues with after schools programs, and geography ALL apply to Amber Fields, Lakewood, and Wheatlands. There were many issues the board needs to address and that is because of the amount of students we have at Wolf Road north from a Junior High perspective. As they have mentioned since the beginning the only way to elevitate for the short term is moving Wolfs Crossing, Wheatlands, or Homestead. I would not want to be in the boards shoes on this because there will be several hundred people upset.

Temporary Classrooms at Bednarcik Junior High needed for Homestead, Wolf Crossing, and Wheatlands Families: Property Tax receipts and Operating Funds for Oswego308 will decrease otherwise - Because Murphy Junior High is such a long distance south for the families of these communities, it is inevitable that the property values of any of these communities will drop once it has been determined that they will go to Murphy Junior High. That decrease in property value will RESULT IN LOWER PROPERTY TAX RECEIPTS AND OPERATING FUNDS FOR OSWEGO308. As the test scores of the chosen elementary drops due to less time students can spend on doing homework, participate in outside academic programs, etc, so will the property values drop, which will again RESULT IN LOWER PROPERTY TAX RECEIPTS AND OPERATING FUNDS FOR OSWEGO308. For 2 straight years recently, I drove by the temporary classrooms at Naperville Central High School. Families in Naperville203 tell me they utilized temporary classrooms all the time in the past 20 years to deal with overcrowding. The temporary classrooms have not decreased their home value because good academics and test scores, reasonable transportation time, community schools will bring the home value up, which in turn will INCREASE THE PROPERTY TAX RECEIPTS AND OPERATING FUNDS FOR THE DISTRICT. We are all connected. We are all in this together.

I wasnt able to make meeting last night , I was wondering what happens now, after this meeting will they now go look and make changes or does it go right to the board?

Just to clarify regarding the suggestion from Prescott Miil that special needs kids move to another location. Clearly, from ALL points of view, this is NOT, NOT, NOT ideal.

It has been stated repeatedly over the the last few weeks that nobody wants their kids moved but nobody is bringing suggestions to the table.

In a letter posted to this location:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/984672/Prescott%20Mill.pdf

Prescott Mill has provided 10 suggestions for consideration.

I must state clearly that Prescott Mill is NOT targeting special needs kids. This suggestion is mentioned alongside that regarding kindergarten classes. There are points that do support this suggestion, however, be aware that our goal is ONLY to discuss ANY and ALL options available and to understand ALL the reasons behind implementing or not implementing any particular change. Several of the supporting points are applied to kindergarten as well, who would be less impacted than special needs kids. We did not and do not intend to target, or suggest, in such a way to inflict pain. We understand and support the need for stability in all children, particularly those that have special needs.

Suggestion: If Bednarcik does not have space for temporary classrooms, then let's keep 6th graders at their elementary school. Many areas of the country have K-6 as elementary and 7-8 as JH. Put up the temporary classrooms at Homestead, I am quite certain that our parents would agree to that. Jill, your points are right on! Keep up the good work.

If possible solutions are to be discussed, it makes sense to DISCUSS ALL and document all solutions with reasons for and against, rather than leaving out any particular group for fear of hitting a nerve. I must be very clear in stating that we DO CARE ENORMOUSLY for this group, as we do for all children who may be affected. Stating this as an option, especially publicly, was one of single most difficult things I have uttered in my 42 years and for the record, I was holding back tears as I spoke the words. Our point was ultimately state that x solution (special needs) is an option, but an extremely painful one and, oh "by the way, here is a way we can avoid that for all kids currently being looked at for possible transition from Churchill."

Having come from a family with a special needs member, this topic is also very near and dear to my heart. We realize that this is not easy and have no desire to inflict pain on anyone with any of the suggestions stated. Ultimately, what we would like to see is $16-32,000 spent on temporary buildings while the permanent solution of building on to Churchill (and honestly, the same for Homestead) takes place. Moving 68 kids out of Churchill is not going to solve the problem because the problem is that they need more classroom space.

A comment in the blog during the forum mentioned not wanting their child to attend school in a trailer. To alleviate this, special classes could be offered in temporary buildings so that no particular group gets the raw end of the stick. Additionally, each would be 24' by 70', so there would surely be adequate space.

The best kind of change is one that is a variation of one that is already expected in the lives of our children rather than extreme. It has been mentioned to expand Jr. High to include 5th grade (and not 8th) to start off Murphy. This kind of change WOULD free up classrooms (or a classroom) at Churchill. This along with relocating kindergarten would free up the two classrooms that Churchill needs to accommodate future students.

We have options. It is only matter of choosing the lessor evil and I believe we all know quite well, what that lessor evil is NOT.

It is natural to resist any kind of change, but I believe that if it is shown that the changes have been well thought out, the reasoning is concisely and completely documented for choosing x solution over y solution and people take the time to examine those reasons, a consensus that makes sense for our community as a WHOLE will be reached and supported.

*** The 68 kids being looked at for transition from Churchill are kids across all grades and, though it will lower class sizes which is great for all, will not ultimately or definitely have the effect of freeing up classrooms.***

@Isaak, you are absolutely correct -The parents would definitely agree to temporary classrooms at their elementary schools so they do not have to go to Murphy. Thank you for the idea!!

Elisa, I appreciate your explanation. However, having heard that someone from Prescott Mill suggested taking the 'retards' out of Churchill is disgusting! I did not choose for my daughter to have cerebral palsy and other special needs parents did not choose for their children to suffer from the mulitude of diagnoses and syndromes that they have. These children need stability!!!! For all of you, you are dealing with a possible boundary change for the first time in 4 years. For our families, we deal with it each and every year. Every year it is threatened that the special needs programs are being moved around the district. Some families don't find out until weeks or even days before the school year starts which school their child will be attending. That's wrong!
And, while I appreciate that your community has come up with some scenarios, I dont think it's right to bounce the special needs children who live right here in Churchill so there is room for your families. I bought my house in a subdivision with an elementary and jr. high school in the subdivision for a reason. To bus my child away from the school that I can see from my house is wrong.

Jill: With all due respect, temporary classrooms are not the alternative. For one, the cost for them would have to come from the Operating Fund, no bonding dollars can be used to purchase them. Also, the process of determining how and where to place them is an issue as well, HVAC, Plumbing, AV needs, classroom equipment etc... are all relavant costs that would need to be considered. The suggestion that "Special Needs" students could be placed in trailers is also a challenge. Please go to any of the schools currently housing special needs students and look at their classroom set-ups, moving them to trailers in not a condusive alternative. This topic has been discussed by previous boards several times and it does not make fiscal or educational sense to do so.

On the issue of what is next, Dr. O'Donnell will be given a formal recommendation by the Administrative team who worked with the committee. He will present that recommendation as "information only" at the Board Meeting on February 13th. The Board will then, either ask for more information (likely) and then may or may not place it on the agenda for action the following meeting on Feb 27th. They may also call for a special board meeting, dedicated to this topic specifically. School Adminstrators need to have a decision in order to begin the planning for next year's students in early March. If the board does not take action, this puts the whole process in jeopardy,

John, THANK YOU!!!! You are right, putting special needs children in trailers is absurd! My daughter in particular is in a wheelchair. She can't get into a trailer as they are raised off the ground and adding a ramp to it is would be a safety issue. Trailers are not a long term solution to anything...fiscally or educationally!

@Elisa, Thank you!! I will have bankers run numbers for the drop in home values for Homestead families.

@John Graff, thank you for the information. Since transportation costs are part of Operating Fund also, we would be saving on transportation costs by busing students for considerably less time.

@Margie Hartigan, I would never consider having special needs children in temporary classrooms. The temporary classrooms are not physically set up to accommodate them.

Elisa, thank you. To clarify, I did not say that it came from you. But, a Prescott Mill parent DID in fact say that last night. It's incredibly offensive and saddens me that adults would say such a thing in the world we live in.

With regards to the trailers, I was merely supporting John's post about not putting these children in trailers.

Margie,
I would never say such a thing. I would not dream of, do not now, or nor have I ever in my life referred to people in such a rude way. Ever. The word mentioned above did not come from me. I did NOT say that. In the family that I come from, it is offensive and it is bred into me to never refer ANYONE in that manner.

I did not intend to suggest that special needs kids would specifically be those who are placed in the temporary buildings. What I meant by special classes was art and music, which affect all children equally. I apologize if this was understood to be anything different, because I guarantee, that was a misunderstanding.

I understand that the cost would come out of different fund. I was told this from the start. As I mentioned before, ideas need to be discussed and reasons documented so that others who come along with the same idea can be referred to that information. If it is not feasible financially, then it is not feasible financially.

Wally,
I have 2 severely mentally retarded family members. That kind of reference does not exist as a possibility in my mind. I would never, ever say it and I am offended to actually see that reference on this screen. Apparently others are offended at that reference as well, so it might be a good idea to not say that. I stated my position regarding reasoning above and any indication that I am one who discriminates against ANYONE is flat out wrong. I am not a hurtful person in any way and this kind of discussion is not productive nor necessary.

To answer the earlier question about what happens next. Once the committee makes a recommendation to the superintendent (that is what the committee is charged with doing, making a recommendation) then the administration gets a chance to review it and if I am not mistaken they can also modify it. Once that is completed it is submitted to the school board which has the option to decline, accept or modify.

Churchill Elementary only has 2 special education classes at their location. (This is one of the lowest totals in the district); and those classes are heavily integrated. Those two classes only have about 16/20 students total, and a good percentage of them actually live in Churchill.
Do Prescott Mills parents really believe that their children have more of a right to stay at a "neighborhood" school that is not in their neighborhood than the children who are actually in that neighborhood (who actually walk to school)?

Thank you all for your comments. I am not accusing Elisa of making the statement. As I stated I was not there, but what was told to me this morning by a few other special needs parents that were in attendance was that Elisa made her statement about her brother, but someone else said that the 'retards' should be moved. I don't know if the comment was made publicly at the microphone or simply made out loud from their seat where many people could hear it. My simple point is that our children did not asked to be born with their issues and we certainly didn't pray at night after finding out that we were having children that they be born with a disability of any kind. The fact that anyone would make such a comment is disgusting. We need to keep in mind that we are talking about innocent children here. We need to figure out what is the best solution for them. And, they should not be the last group of students placed. The fact that the special programs is 2nd from the bottom on the list of importance for the board sickens me. These kids need stability, the thrive on structure.

I have a simple question all of you might be able to help me with. How did the Boundary Committee arrive at their recommendation? I know they have been working toward a resolution to this issue for 3+ months, but why have they changed their position about Homestead in the last 3 weeks? Per the January 17th Boundary Committee notes (posted at: http://308boundaries.wikispaces.com/file/view/2012.01.17+Group+1+Notes.pdf/295093616/2012.01.17%20Group%201%20Notes.pdf), "...our core belief still feels the most viable proposal is for Wolf’s Crossing Elementary to be moved to Murphy Junior High". How can the committee waffle this quickly on such an important subject?

@Andrew Goade - The committee (40+ members) divided into three subgroups to brainstorm boundary suggestions. All three groups presented their suggestions to the full committee and the pro's and con's of each suggestion were debated. The final proposal is a conglomerate of all three subgroups work, taking a the best supported ideas of each subgoup. The notes you are reading are from Subgroup #1, which represented the brainstorming of 1/3 of the committee, before the final proposal was created.

@Lisa - Thank you for the follow up. If I may ask where are the other Subgroup's notes? Since the Boundary Committee is trying to be as transparent as possible, why is the public getting only 1/3 of the information?

It seems to me that the location of Murphy is a big part of the issue. Was there anyone fighting the location of Murphy at the time it was built? If it were more centrally located instead of only being convenient for a small number of residents, we probably would not be having this discussion.

As I continue to look at the Boundary Committee notes, I consistently see WC as the obvious choice to move to MU. The 1/10/2012 Boundary Committee Meeting Notes state, "...Our group determined for Murphy Jr. High...Consider Wolf’s Crossing Elementary students attending Murphy (no shifts to the boundary lines) and Homestead Elementary students attending Bednarcik Jr. High with the The Wheatlands Elementary School." Again I ask, how can the committee waffle this quickly on such an important subject? I admit I haven't been following this as closely as I should have until recently, but from a new comer's perspective, it seems like the new recommendation has been made in less than a month.

Re: Bednarcik/Murphy - It makes sense that everyone north of Wolfs Crossing Road that attend the Wheatlands, Homestead and Wolfs Crossing should attend Bednarcik. Groups from all three of those school should band together as the community they are and push together for that to happen. I understand the Board wants Murphy at full operation, but it makes sense to move all the kids that live near Grande Park/Plainfield area that attend Wolfs Crossing to Grande Park and Murphy and open Murphy with lower numbers than the presented last night. The residential area will bounce back and students will begin to fill the empty seats at Murphy. Why not start there and keep all the kids closer to home? The committee and board should slow down and see which numbers work better for the schools and for the kids. It's better to spend the time on research now than to make a relatively quick decision and have to change it in 3-4 years.

I think if you go back and read all the documents on since December you will see the first choice was actually Homestead and not Wolf's Crossing. When the committee discussed this option it was brought up by a committee member to look at WC (this committee member was from Homestead) During these discussions Wheatlands just did not have enough reasons to send them to Murphy. So it then came down to Homestead and WC. One out of the 3 decided to send WC to Murphy while the other two were still undecided as of the January 17th meeting. During the January 24th meeting the 3 groups continued to debate and at the end voted again and 2 of the 3 groups voted to send Homestead while one still had WC going. They then did an individual vote and it was 17-11 in favor of sending Homestead. I do wish there were more of the notes after the 24th meeting online but unfortunately there was not. I believe because of the 2 to 1 vote and individual vote they went with Homestead. A majority of this information is all online and some of it you had to be there at the meetings as well. Not an easy decision either way but i think the best solution is to keep WC, Homestead, and Wheatlands all still attending Bednarcik as they still can open up Murphy at 326 students which would continue to grow year after year.

A few months ago there was a discussion on here with regards to the use of trailers. They do not have to be purchased, they can be leased. I went to the Glen Ellyn school dist and met with a school board member. G.E. has been using them for years since their last referendum didn't pass. 100% of the lease is tax deductible so there's no cost there. There are several packages that may be purchased for their up-keep and their life span is usually 10 yrs. I went inside and was surprised at their appearance, looked like any other classroom I've ever been in. That being said there are issues. The advice they gave was to use what you have if at all possible. There are major safety concerns! Weather, what if a tornado was approaching? Time to evacuate and get inside, when your talking kids we all know it takes longer then expected. The number 1 draw back is safety. God forbid the unthinkable should happen. Inside a building with security doors the chances of someone getting to your kids is low. Inside these trailers there's only one door between your kids and them. Windows are not the same as a school and that's another entrance for someone. While G.E. uses them they also have extra security and it was their advice to consider this a last resort. Our students safety is top priority.

Thank you Lisa Udy and John Graff for helping the community understand the process the boundary committee has been going through. I really believe we as a committee have done due diligence when making our recommendations. I personally changed my mind after hearing from the community regarding WC and again after driving the district and seeing firsthand what the routes actually look like. It is obvious that changes have to be made and no one likes change, especially when it comes to our kids. Ironically, many of the arguments that were made by the Homestead parents last night were the exact arguments that many of us Grande Park people made when fighting to get Murphy opened. There are no right or easy answers and no matter which community is moved, people will be upset. I just hope that people will also consider the kids who will attend Murphy next year. So far, it has a stigma of an undesirable school and the doors haven’t even opened yet. I hope that we can all act like adults and set a good example for our kids so that no one will feel bad about their school, whatever it may be.

I don't understand the obsession with a feeder system. I guess it's because I grew up in very large districts in the northwest suburbs and fed into several junior highs and high schools. As I recall, my junior high fed 3 high schools. We survived. It was actually a total non-issue.

Honestly, with as small as Oswego is compared to where I grew up, keeping in touch with friends would be pretty easy. My kids have many very good friends who do not attend their school. And it takes us minutes to get to their homes.

Honestly, I think parents are really ridiculous when it comes to some of this stuff. "School families"? Good lord -- half the time kids don't like the same person one week from now. lol I'll say it --- parents need to get a freaking grip. I can understand travel times, etc., when it comes to boundary concerns but this is something else.

People who are "begging" for this kind of stuff probably need to take a look at the world and realize that kids are pretty adaptable and it's a necessary life skill. I guess I should be thankful I'm not in a therapist,s office lamenting the fact that my 8th grade lunch buddies went to one HS and I went to another. Geez -- amazing I survived that trauma *and* had a graduating class of 700+! LMAO

I'm more concerned with class size, quality teaching, and the availablity of technology and the like than I am if my kids are joined at the hip to the same classmates from K through 12. They might actually have to start new jobs, meet new people and move a few times in their life. And I don't think my kids are so super special that they adapt more readily than other children. ; )

Lisa, I was thinking the exact same thing.
Val, thank you! As a parent of a special needs child I can tell you my skin was crawling all day reading that over and over again.
And, as someone who attends all HSA meetings and school functions I was wondering where all the Prescott Mill people have been all year and why they jumped up and left our meeting right after the boundary discussion was over. If they care so much, they would be attending the meetings and staying for the duration all the time.

I'd like to thank all the representative constituents from the Homestead community for all the hard preparation and representation at this meeting.

I hope people recognize that battles over boundaries and high schools are lessons in why government monopolies are grossly inefficient and ineffective. When any organization is immune from the competition of the marketplace, arrogance and complacency set in very quickly.

Over a decade ago, the district did not adequately assess growth patterns. There are four basic failures:

1) Failure to adequately negotiate a limit on residential growth with local municipalities. Local governments typically don't like to have an overbuilt residential sector because it costs lots of money to maintain and police. It's not surprising Aurora, Plainfield, and Oswego allowed this residential sprawl, but that's another conversation. cont'd

You might remember that many legislators in Congress complained that they were forced to vote on Obamacare before they had a chance to read and understand the legislation. Do you think it's any different with local elected officials? I cannot speak for this current school board, but based on my experience with hundreds of municipalities in the tri-state area, part-time volunteer board members don't open their board packets until about 15 minutes before a meeting.

This is all water under the bridge. Now we have a mess and will continue to have a mess as we go forward. There will be similar problems into the distant future unless we have some major additions to the retail/commercial sector.

What is the takeaway? We have a major national election coming. You are experiencing a small microcosm of what will be coming if we continue to elect representatives and executives who believe the government is in charge of everything.

It’s important to note: There is plenty of room at Bednarcik for Wolfs Crossing, The Wheatlands, and Homestead to feed into it.

The need to move WC, WH, or HS down to Murphy is not based on overcrowding at Bednarcik. It's about balanced enrollments and filling Murphy. Once the Grande Park students are moved, there is plenty of room for all three schools to feed into Bednarcik. No matter what the outcome, there will be empty class rooms at both schools.

Option #5 from the BOE presentation dated 1/9/2012 says. Moving 6th, 7th, and 8th graders from Grande Park to Murphy would provide relief for Bednarcik. It goes on to say the boundaries could last more than 5 years. The enrollment data on the website supports these conclusions.

Murphy needs to open for the residence in GP but no elementary school from the north needs to move down. The cost to open Murphy is unavoidable. No matter what the outcome, there will be empty class rooms at one or both schools.

I don’t know all the ramifications of opening a school with less than the ideal number of students but I believe this is what needs to be figured out.

One more comment. I have heard the students at Grande Park elementary are very excited about the opening of Murphy (and they should be). A process has started there to get kids involved with selecting the school colors and mascot. This should wait until a final decision is made on what kids will be attending. If kids are moved down they should also have the opportunity to be involved. There are so many disadvantages to moving any of the Aurora schools down, don’t alienate some kids from the process.

@ Val G -- in fairness "mental retardation" has an ICD-9 diagnosis code. It's a clinical term that is definitely still in use, is an actual diagnosis with several different causes and is not necessarily derogatory. It's a legitimate clinical term and while you may prefer other terms for it, it's not fair to imply that someone who uses it is being insensitive. Particularly since the term of favor changes every few years.

I don't think this person was using it as a pejorative, by any means.

An alternate plan( http://dl.dropbox.com/u/984672/Boundary%20Suggestion.pdf )
would allow elementary students to remain at their current schools and attend the expected Junior high. Feedback indicates that process of implementation, complexity and amount of effort required would be extensive. It would resolve all the anger over schools, free up classrooms at the elementary level and open Murphy in a way (annexed) that would be considered generally fair. Junior high would be tight but could be accommodated by offering sections at the grade schools, where several classrooms open up.) Only high school boundaries would be affected by adding a third. Should be an annex to provide to allow for shared facilities and limit rivalry. As specific high school facilities are added, it can become it's "own". Research regarding shifting 5th to JH and 8th to HS seems to be positive, indicating higher potential for student growth. Implementation is challenging, however would be less controversial, changes to schools would be fewer, (except those that would go to Murphy as a high school.) Challenges will be identified, as this is the main concern nixing a similar idea earlier in the process. Appropriate research, implementation strategy and desire for success could implement this with much less controversy and pain than what we are experiencing now. Passionate and dedicated COULD implement it in time. Do we want to bicker and be mad or put out the effort and work toward a desirable solution.

This idea is far from complete. Any thoughts or ideas that would productively strengthen this argument are welcome. The simple thought is make Murphy (an annexed) high school. High schools would hold 8,9,10,11,12. Junior high would hold 5,6,7 and grade schools would hold (potentially K) 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th, with a 1 or two rooms used as overflow for classes that ALL 5th graders would be required to rotate through, while their home was at the Jr. High. No temporary buildings, no relocation of any programs, no shifting students out of their home schools to other schools... Only allowing the shift from elementary to junior high 1 year earlier and from junior high to high school one year earlier. "Wings" could be set up of certain grade levels to limit interaction between younger and older students. Research I am seeing at this point seems like it can actually be quite beneficial. Fire away.

Does anyone know if the Homestead subdivision was subject to impact fees for the school district? I know when the subdivision was being developed years ago that the developer and City of Aurora were fighting those fees, but I never knew what became of the situation.

Also, it was very common in the school district years ago for the kids who lived in the 'country' to have a very long bus ride to school. It was so long that they actually started school during 2nd period and stayed one period later in the day. As subdivisions get built farther from the center of District then it's only reasonable to expect longer bus rides.

Let's remember that the Homestead area was built out before wolfs crossing was even built. This should not even be an issue. If we are in such a rural area than I guess we shouldn't be paying $10,000 per year in tax or at a higher prcentage rate than Kendall County to support the same school district. We should also expect that our children will perform poorer on academics, social and emotional areas as well, and should forget about remaining competitive with any of the other neighboring suburban districts.

Maureen you may be paying a higher percentage overall for your property taxes but the percentage that goes to the school district is the same. If your taxes are higher It is because of other institutions like park district or county.

The Homestead area did pay a additional special assessment, but I believe that debt was paid off about two years ago.

thanks Kristina, but a special assessment for your subdivision is different than an impact fee. I'm still wondering about the impact fee.

I don't have anything to say except for that NO ONE will be happy with any of the boundary changes except Grand Park residents, and who can blame them? But I reserve the right to be annoyed by having to pass Bednarcik to get Murphy when my kids from Homestead are required to go there without being told that I "need to get a freakin' grip". Have a little respect and maybe there won't be such negative feelings when people try express their concerns and feel like they are being belittled.

Option 4 with all 3 Aurora schools staying at Bednarcik is the best choice for ALL Oswego308 families (2nd of 2 posts) -

If they send 1 of the schools down, the district will have less tax receipts and therefore less operating funds. That will result in cuts to programs or staff. In today's Chicago Tribune's Trib Local section, Indian Prairie 204 School District announced it is considering 110 layoffs, $1.4 million reduction in lower-level high school and extracurricular offerings, increasing middle school and high school athletic fees, raising technology and pre-school fees, on and on. Our district still needs to come up with $800,000 to open Murphy. Something has to give.

Either open Murphy with 1 of the Aurora schools, and lose operating funds. Or, open Murphy without an Aurora school at savings of $100,000. To me, it makes perfect sense to save $100,000 and not bring any of the Aurora schools down, especially since in the next 2 years, we can be at Bednarcik without even changing up the LRC space or adding temporary classrooms.

Consider Prescott Mill's analysis of drop in home value in the last 2 pages of the document, http://dl.dropbox.com/u/984672/Prescott%20Mill.pdf. If 503 homes drop about 6.46% in value, the district would lose $125,247 in revenue. The district money all goes into 1 big pot, and a loss at Prescott Mill or in ANY subdivision, is a loss for everyone else in the district.

Option 4 with all 3 Aurora schools staying at Bednarcik is the best choice for ALL Oswego308 families (1st of 2 posts) -

These are the numbers from the proposal on Board Doc's from Monday board meeting – enrollment numbers for the future may change slightly once they get updated numbers from RSP –

- Bednarcik capacity is 950
- Current Bednarcik enrollment is 972
- Option #4 with HM, WC, WH staying at Bednarcik means -
- in 2012-13, it will be 939 students (which is less than what we have now)
- in 2013-14, it will be 984 students (which is around what we have now)
- in 2014-15, it will be 1072 students
- in 2015-16, it will be 1094 students

We can have all 3 Aurora schools at Bednarcik for at least 2 more years - As you know families don’t want to go down if they could stay. (Junior high students start lunch at10:29am, but high school students start at 10:49. Not much time difference)

No matter who goes down to Murphy, the district will lose property tax receipts / operating revenue. If you were looking to buy a home, would you buy it in Wheatlands Elementary area if it was going to Murphy? Or, would you buy it in Homestead or Wolf's Crossing instead? The district/school board is always under pressure to keep the tax rate low.

For those of you who are in favor of Option 4, here is something to consider. The opening of MU must be done in a fair and responsible way. The students and parents of whoever will attend will demand an equitable learning environment which means that they must have the same electives, sports and extra-curricular activities as all of the other Jr. Highs. The BOE set that precedent when they voted to spend $200,000 to bring IA to the new Traughber. It does not make sense, or even seem possible to do that with 279 students. Not only that, BE will still be overcrowded. I can empathize with the parents of the Aurora schools being considered and I truly understand the consequences of moving them to MU. Those of us who live in Grande Park have had to do the reverse for the past 5 years. We have watched MU sit vacant or underutilized, had our kids bussed past MU to get to BE on the very same roads people are concerned about now. As it turns out, the kids here love BE and many of them are upset to leave it too. The downside of living in a large, growing district is that this kind of change is inevitable.

Cheers Jennifer...growth and change happens in all communities, adapt, embrace & support. Those who claim their property values will decerease are wrong..your property values are decreasing because of this economy folks, empty homes sit on our street as well with lawns being maintained by the banks..that is what is decreasing home values. Have friends in Tall Grass and family in Brighton Ridge subdivisions in Naperville..the kids get bussed 30-35 minutes to Waubonsee Valley High School...none of the homes in their neighborhoods were kept from selling because of where the kids go to school...I've posted elsewhere the same: my daughter is at Bednarcik now..10:30 am lunch, overcrowded hallways, classes, busses & locker rooms..interesting as well there is no PTA at Bednarcik either with all that student body and parents wanting all their kids to go there so badly. Was told by the athletic director it was due to "lack of interest", sad.

More time needed to decide: Wait at least 1 year to send 1 Aurora school to Murphy -
Current enrollment at Hunt Club is 338 students, Old Post is 409, and Grande Park is 411. There are elementary schools in the district with fewer students than other elementaries so demanding opening up Murphy with same conditions as other junior highs, while I sympathize with Grande Park residents, doesn't hold water when it is currently not done at the elementaries that are already in existence.

There is still much information that the Board of Education needs to in order to decide which Aurora school will go to Murphy -
1) Can Wolf's Crossing realistically be a walking school? Could this be accomplished by end of August when school year begins? What capital improvements have to be made? What are the associated costs? What are the liability issues?
2) What are the most efficient transportation routes to Murphy from Wheatlands, Wolf's Crossing, and Homestead? All Wheatlands students (including Four Points subdivision) can take Hafenrichter to Route 34 to Route 30 to Murphy (current high school route). Four Points can also get onto Route 34 at Ridge Ave where there is a light. These are very efficient routes. Starting point for all schools is Route 30 and Wolf's Crossing. Which routes from each of these schools/subdivisions would be most effective? If Wolf's Crossing becomes a walking school, it would be best to avoid Eola Rd and Wolf's Crossing St. (Continued)

(Continued from previous post)
3) Relieving Bednarcik and giving Bednarcik manageable enrollment for the long term - Homestead is landlocked. However there are numerous unimproved lots in Wheatlands, and there are undeveloped land in Wolf's Crossing. Having both Wheatlands and Wolf's Crossing go to Bednarcik would provide much less stability to Bednarcik enrollment than if 1 of the schools - Wheatlands or Wolf's Crossing - went to Murphy.
4) There are differing enrollment numbers and projections given by the district. Board of Education needs to receive accurate numbers.

Grand Park families knew where their kids were going to junior high when they bought their homes. And of course, no one will discuss the GOAL program that is currently being housed at Murphy. This effects ALL the kids and I don't know why this is such a big secret and/or that people are afraid to address this fact. How about some information regarding GOAL. Anyone?

Why are all the downtown kids stuck with having to leave Traughber and go to Thompson?! It is considerably farther than Traughber. Why does that "point" on the new map include the downtown area which logically in terms of neighborhood and street flow...should be in the Traughber boundary?

Board of Education needs more time to decide on Boundary Changes -
In the boundary changes that occurred 4 years ago, then Board of Education asked the boundary committee to go back 2 more times to work on the recommendations. While I appreciate the many hours and sacrifices that the current boundary committee members made, there are too many issues that this boundary committee did not / could not discuss nor consider that the current Board is now asking administration.
-- Simply, the boundary committee did not have all the information available when they made their recommendation –
Also, in the Superintendent's Message posted on our district website homepage, the boundary committee was supposed to present 2-3 scenarios at the Boundary Forum and to the Board of Education. Over 600 people witnessed it at the Forum - there was only 1 scenario presented, and as far as families are aware, there is only 1 scenario that will be presented to the Board of Education. There seems to be a fundamental flaw in the process when the end goal of 2-3 scenarios is not reached.
How can the Board of Education vote on the boundary committee recommendation on February 27th when there is still so much information that the Board needs to in order to make its decisions? The Board needs time to collectively pour over the information, to ask questions and receive answers from the administration, and to make careful deliberations. (continued)

(continued from previous post)
Without such a process, how can ALL Aurora residents be assured that all pertinent information was received, discussed, and considered? The Board’s decision will impact thousands of current and future students and families in the Aurora area for years to come. The stress over the outcome of the Board’s decisions is far, far greater than whether we can register on March 1. Surely, we can wait 1-2 weeks for registration when the outcome will have such a tremendous impact on so many families. I ask for Oswego, Montgomery, and Boulder Hill residents’ support and understanding of the unique situation that Aurora residents are facing and this unique situation that Oswego308 school district has not faced before – whether to open Murphy without any Aurora schools, or deciding on 1 Aurora school to go to Murphy.
Thank you for your support and understanding.

Bednarcik under capacity next year with all 3 Aurora Schools -

- Bednarcik capacity is 950
- Current Bednarcik enrollment is 972
- Option #4 with HM, WC, WH staying at Bednarcik means -
- in 2012-13, it will be 939 students (which is less than what we have now)
- in 2013-14, it will be 984 students (which is around what we have now)
With current Bednarcik enrollment at 972, we are not even changing up the LRC space.

Thanks Lisa. Even though the bonding authority has expired, I believe there still can be "out of the box" thinking to creatively utilize the current space. I believe building costly additions onto a building may not necessarily be the answer.

Thank you Jane for your insight and support.

I think this boundary plan has been rushed and not adequately thought-out. So many people have brought serious concerns and valid points to the table - this decision needs to be given much more consideration.

I am unhappy it includes switching all the downtown kids out of Traughber and over to Thompson. This is not the plan I saw several months ago. It has not been publicized nor have parents whose kids will be affected been directly informed of this new, CHANGED PLAN. Why are the downtown kids always jerked around? We've been through East View, Prairie Point, East View again, Southbury, old Traughber, new Traughber and now Thompson?

Sorry....but if I wanted my kids to go to a Boulder Hill school, I would have bought a home there. I stayed away for good reason even though the homes there are more affordable.

It looks like the new boundary has all the kids whose parents make the least amount of money ALL going to old Thompson. Check out the new boundary map on the oswego308.org website. Looks intentional to me. And it really frosts my wheaties to see that Joliet kids will be coming to Traughber, driving right past Murphy, while my Oswego kids will have to leave a school they love, teachers who know us, the Band program they have devoted so many extra hours of time for and the comfort zone of being a part of the Traughber family.