Madrona Decisions/Vigilant Parents
- on 09.11.06
- CCSD #46
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There are many decisions will have to be made before the opening of the Madrona School next year.
Here is a picture of the Madrona School Site via Mayor Bill Gentes’ blog. Click on the picture for a larger view.
I have rearranged the snippets to make it easier to discuss.
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And though officials say it will solve, at least for now, the district’s space problems, they have important issues to take care of before Madrona opens. Who goes where? Before the school opens, the district board will have to make the difficult decision of which students will go there. Obviously, the students in the new homes nearby will attend. But because Madrona will be the only district school serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade, the boundaries of existing schools will have to be redrawn. “That’s going to be a huge issue in the district,†Correll said. A consultant will help, but it will be hard to make everyone happy, said Jim Russell, spokesman for the Illinois Association of School Boards. “There’s no absolute right way of doing it,†he said. “No wrong way of doing it.†He suggested soliciting community input, but eventually, the board will have to make the final decision. “I have seen some larger suburban districts that go through several drafts or proposals before settling on new boundaries,†Russell said. “It can become very emotional for some parents and students.†|
If this committee follows the path of the rest of the district committee’s there will not be any community involvement except at meetings. See the discussion under Committee Format in the school board meeting notes from March 6, 2006.
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The district’s six other schools are at capacity, and questions swirl over where it will find space for the increasing number of preschoolers. When it opens in the fall of 2007, the building will hold up to 1,000 students and could be expanded in the long term to hold 400 more. Earlier this year, an independent consultant predicted the district would grow by about 400 students in the next 10 years. That didn’t take preschool children into account. |
The district won’t be able to build the addition to get Madrona to the 1400 students if the comments at the last board meeting are any indication. It appears there are cost overruns happening and there won’t be enough money left at the end of the 1000 seat build.
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The district board has been hesitant recently to pay for programs such as band and chorus because running the new building will cost the district more money. Cash for the bricks and mortar came from voters, who approved money to build Madrona. But the extra salaries to run the place — extra teachers, new principals, secretaries — could strain the budget. Correll said she won’t have to hire too many more teachers than the 302 who already work in the district, as some who work at existing schools will be spread into the new one. A range of subjects in the other schools are taught by teachers without their own rooms. They use moving carts and commute between classrooms. With Madrona, teachers could get their own rooms and won’t be required to do their between-period shuffle. |
If you read this carefully, the district is already setting the stage to try and justify another referendum. I don’t believe they will attempt this before Madrona opens, but will probably do so within a year, 2 at the most, of Madrona opening.
This is why district residents have to work and hold school board accountable. If we are not diligent, then districts don’t feel any pressure to hold a line on expenditures. This has happened in the past and it will continue to happen to every school district that does not have a vigilant group of parents and taxpayers holding the district accountable.
Why did they decide to build a school that is k-8? It seems as though it will be at odds with the rest of the district.
This was before the time I started researching the district. What I do know is this plan was under the direction of Dr. Kurt Anderson. He is no longer the Superintendent. He was pretty much forced out after 4 failed referendum attempts.