Posted March 29, 2007
On April 17, District 41 will ask voters to approve a $40 million bond referendum to fund expansions and renovations of its schools to address overcrowding. Community members—parents and non-parents—are invited to tour the schools to see current conditions, which include 26 portable classrooms throughout the district. Tour dates are Tuesday, April 10, 10 a.m. - 1 p.m., and Thursday, April 12, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Group tours will start every 15 minutes. Visitors will be asked to wait in the office area for the next available tour. No reservations are required. Please allow time to find parking in the neighborhood. The five D41 schools are: Abraham Lincoln Elementary, 380 Greenfield, Glen Ellyn; Benjamin Franklin Elementary, 350 Bryant, Glen Ellyn; Churchill Elementary, 240 Geneva Rd., Glen Ellyn; Forest Glen Elementary, 561 Elm St., Glen Ellyn; and Hadley Junior High, 240 Hawthorne Blvd., Glen Ellyn.
District 41 serves elementary students in parts of Carol Stream, Glendale Heights, Glen Ellyn, Lombard and Wheaton. Over the last decade, enrollment has grown by 478 students and more growth is expected. Enrollment growth is part of the stress on the schools; other contributors are the increase in programs offered, many of which are required by law, and that today's instructional methods use different types of space as well. While the portables provide additional classroom space, they do not relieve crowded halls, libraries, gyms and bathrooms. The district proposal would expand the Hadley Junior High building and restructure it into two schools-within-a-school: a 5-6 intermediate school and a 7-8 junior high school, an approach used in a number of Illinois districts, including River Forest and Lake Forest. Each would have its own entrance, bus routes and schedules. The 5-6 and 7-8 schools would share core spaces at different times and each would provide age-appropriate instruction and programs aligned with best practices in middle-level education. The site plan shows attention to vehicular flow, with off-street bus lanes and bays student drop-off. Staggered arrival and dismissal times will also address traffic issues. The elementary schools would become K-4, and would receive facility improvements.
Residents wanting to learn more about the April 17 bond referendum can visit www.d41.org/referendum. There are also binders of information available at all District 41 buildings, and at the Glen Ellyn Public Library reference desk.
