Moving 15 Forward
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FAQs
Moving 15 Forward
Timeline/Logistic Questions
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Has a final decision been made?
No, not at all. The Board of Education has received monthly updates on the work of the Beyond Just Boundaries team, but heard the full draft plan at the April 21, 2021, Committee of the Whole meeting of the Board.
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Will current families be "grandfathered" into their existing schools, or will they be moved to new schools within the school year planned for implementation?
The District currently has an IntraDistrict Transfer process that families can access to request to attend a school that is not their home school. This process will remain an option for families moving forward.
The District has not made any decisions as to whether or not grandfathering will be allowed as it is much too early in the process to do so.
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What are the proposed boundaries for each school?
Specific details about the attendance areas and street-level views of the proposed changes were to the Board of Education on April 21, 2021. The Committee of the Whole meeting is posted to the District’s YouTube channel. In addition, the District has a Beyond Just Boundaries page on the website which offers details on the entire process over the last 3 years.
Focus on Near-Neighborhood Schools
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What does “near-neighborhood” schools mean?
When we refer to a “near-neighborhood” school, we are talking about allowing students to attend a school either within or near the neighborhood they live in. With our current boundaries, we have students who may pass another school to get to the school they attend. We want students to be able to attend a school close to their home.
Establish a Cohesive Educational Path for Students
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What is a feeder system?
When we refer to a “feeder system”, we are talking about a consistent and organized pathway from kindergarten to high school. District 15 currently has education pathways that may split students going into junior high and possibly again going into high school. Feeder patterns help to keep school communities together as they advance through their educational path. To put it more simply: each elementary school completely attends one middle school and each middle school completely attends one high school.
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Does this impact high school boundaries?
District 15 does not have any jurisdiction over the high school boundaries. We used the current high school boundaries as a key driver to create a cohesive system for our schools through adjusting District 15 boundary lines.
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When were the boundary lines re-drawn for the purposes of the new feeder lines? Who re-drew them (Internal committee members or the outside consultants)?
One of the nine priorities outlined by the community was to create a feeder system. District 15 worked with STR Architects and RSP & Associates to study the District’s enrollment, school capacity, and demographic development. These two companies worked with District 15 administrators to create a capacity analysis to assist in determining options for reducing overcrowding in some of our schools through adjusting boundary lines.
Balance Enrollment
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What does balanced enrollment mean?
Some of our schools are underutilized and others are overcrowded making enrollment across our 20 schools vary. Overcrowded schools typically have more students within each classroom—surpassing grade level Board targets.
Offer Full-Day Kindergarten For All
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If it were to be implemented, would it be paid for with tuition charged to households with income above a certain level? If not, how do you plan to pay for the facilities, busing, teachers' salaries and pensions?
If the District implements full-day kindergarten, it is still required to offer half-day kindergarten as kindergarten is not a required attendance grade for the State of Illinois. The Board meeting on May 12 will outline the fiscal implications and options for these plans.
Upgrade to a Middle School Model
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What is a middle school model?
The middle school model moves the junior high schools from a two-year experience (7th-8th grade) to a three-year experience (6th-8th grade). This model gives adolescents more time to learn together and prepare for high school while receiving individual support. Moving to a middle school model allows the schools to implement “teams” to provide smaller communities within each school for students to build relationships and collaborate with each other and their teachers.
Eliminate the Bilingual Overlay
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What is “bilingual overlay”?
What started over 30 years ago as a well-intentioned plan to promote integration at less diverse schools in the district has resulted in a large number of bilingual students attending different schools from their neighborhood peers. Our bilingual population has grown substantially over the years, making the overlay challenging to maintain.
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Why do we want to eliminate the bilingual overlay?
Eliminating the overlay will allow all District 15 students to attend a near neighborhood school which in turn empowers families to more actively participate in their child’s education.
Ensure Equitable Access to Programs and Services
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What impact will these changes have on the Gifted Program?
Specific planning for Special Education, Gifted, and Bilingual programs will be part of the presentation on April 21st. In addition, the administration presented a Gifted Program-specific update at the April 14, 2021 Board meeting.
Utilize Our Facilities More Efficiently
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No questions submitted currently.
Repair and Restore Our School Buildings
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If the schools are updated, how long would it be before they needed to be updated again?
The District’s goal with these changes is that our buildings will be up to code and have enough modernization that will last our District for years to come. Once the improvements are made, the administration will create a 5, and 10-year capital improvement plan to ensure the District is not in a place moving forward where we will need to again address a large group of repairs and improvements all at once.