By Michael S. Hoey
Correspondent
The Delavan-Darien School Board authorized Superintendent Robert Crist to investigate two options that could save the district money or provide better educational opportunities to students.
Crist said he is bringing up the idea of year-round school, knowing it could be controversial, as a way to get parents involved and look into something that could make students more successful. He said he wants to generate discussion and see what might work for the district and the community.
Crist said one problem with the current school calendar is that students lose much of what they learned during the school year over summer break. He said some year-round models add days to the calendar, which would have implications on teacher compensation. Others simply take the same number of days and spread them out over the calendar year in a different manner.
Crist said he thinks the concept could be successful at the elementary and middle school levels but not at the high school because of the activities that would be affected.
Board Member John Andreoni said in his experience with year-round schools in Illinois, the kids are OK with the idea but the teachers in school that had been using it for a short time didn’t like it.
He said kids and staff like it in schools that have been using it for years, though teacher turnover could help explain that. He said teachers who didn’t like the concept might have left those districts. Crist said some teacher turnover could happen here as well if the concept is attempted.
Andreoni also said the concept could be hectic for parents who have kids at a year-round school and one or more at the high school.
Crist said he thinks the concept should be explored. The board authorized him to do so.
Center schools idea back
Crist also asked for and received authorization to investigate an idea that drew opposition from citizens in 2013 – center schools. The district had listening sessions on that topic in 2013 and decided not to pursue it in part because of opposition expressed at the sessions.
The center school model would group all students of each grade at the same school, allowing teachers to collaborate much easier, allow the district to balance class sizes better, and allow the district to teach the same number of students with six to nine fewer teachers. Crist said the district could save about $480,000 by utilizing fewer teachers.
Crist also said the current configuration of every grade being taught at three separate elementary schools in the district creates unbalanced class sizes. Some classes at Turtle Creek Elementary, for example, are at capacity while the same grade-level classes at Wileman have very small class sizes.
Board member Chad Kort asked if Crist is proposing closing any schools as part of his plan. Crist said he is not. The possibility of closing Wileman or keeping it open as only a pre-kindergarten and early childhood facility were not popular ideas in 2013. Despite that, board member Steve Logterman asked whether three elementary schools are needed based on current enrollment numbers. Kort said moving to a center-school model could be the initial step toward other options.
Kort said when just looking at the financial implications he could not see any reasons not to explore a center-school model.
“As a taxpayer, I cannot imagine how we could not look at it,” he said. “I am at a loss about why we wouldn’t look at it.”
Kort said the district has an ongoing financial problem and will likely be forced to ask for another referendum in the future. Logterman said on the surface he agrees the center-school model looks like a no-brainer, but many issues would have to be addressed. Board President Jeff Scherer asked how many parents who don’t like the idea might open enroll their children out of the district but still said he supports investigating the model.
“We showed last time (the model was discussed) that we listen to our constituents,” Scherer said. “But the district does have financial needs.”
“I would be happy to keep things as they are, but we need resources,” Crist said. “It is a way to save funds and solve some issues.”
