Create New K-12 School District, Reopen LW North: D161 Parents

FRANKFORT, IL — A group of Summit Hill School District 161 parents has asked the school board to consider a radical change to the district: transform the system of elementary and middle schools into a unit district that would educate students from kindergarten through their senior year in high school. That idea, which also includes reopening the recently closed Lincoln-Way North High School, was presented during public comments of the district's school board meeting Wednesday.

The group, which is represented by parent Steve Cook, wants the board to explore the costs and benefits of such a change to the district by conducting a feasability study. While the restructuring would deal primarily with Summit Hill, the reason for creating a new District 161U stems from the financial struggles of Lincoln-Way High School District 210, the school system that Summit Hill students eventually graduate on to.

"This plan is an economic stimulus program for the entire District of 210," Cook said. "By 161 becoming a Unit District, we help 210 with their financial hardship."

The centerpiece of the proposal is acquiring and reopening of Lincoln-Way North High School, which was shuttered June 2016 as a cost-cutting measure after District 210 landed on the state's financial watch list. Following the closing, Lincoln-Way East High School became the home for students who would have attended L-W North.

That has increased enrollment at L-W East by nearly 800 students despite the redrawing of boundaries to redistribute some of the overflow to District 210's other schools, Lincoln-Way Central and Lincoln-Way West high schools, both in New Lenox. The additional students have meant larger class sizes, and Summit Hill parents have raised concerns over decreased school opportunities and an overall diminished educational experience, according to the proposal.

RELATED: Appraiser Sought For Possible LW North Sale

Under the reorganization, L-W North would be fully used again and become District 161U's single high school. The Frankfort Square Park District currently rents space in the building, but it still costs around $300,000 annually for District 210 to maintain it, and the school board recently approved gathering estimates for appraisers in an effort to possibly sell the facility.

"We open an otherwise abandoned building and in turn help the taxpayers twofold," Cook said. "Most importantly, this benefits our student’s education by lowering class sizes and increasing opportunities."

Any sale, however, would need to cover the more than $100 million in outstanding construction bonds on the school. Opened in 2008, L-W North was District 210's second-newest facility before its closing, behind only L-W West, which opened in 2009. Taxpayers will be on the hook for L-W North's construction costs until 2033, and the repayment schedule sees sharp spikes over that time.

Cook's proposal would work to avoid this by helping District 210 refinance its bond debt. Not only would it eliminate the steep repayments for taxpayers, but it would improve Lincoln-Way's finances and help remove it from the state's watch list, the proposal states.

"[The plan] provides a much needed revenue boost to the Lincoln Way 210 School District and relieves Lincoln Way of caring for an empty building whileexpanding an already thriving school district to meet the needs of all children in the Summit Hill 161 District," said parent Elizabeth Burghard in a statement backing the proposal.

Although school districts around the south suburbs are structured either for high schools or elementary and middle schools, 386 of the Illinois' 825 school systems are K-12 unit districts. The following unit districts operate in nearby communities:

• Naperville Community Unit School District 203, which serves Lisle and Bolingbrook
• Valley View Community Unit School District 365U, which serves Bollingbrook and Romeoville
• Oswego Community Unit School District 308, which serves Oswego, Aurora, Montgomery, Plainfield, Yorkville and Joliet

Besides offering solutions specific to District 161, turning Summit Hill into a unit district would give the school system incentives for certified staff, and it would create a higher long-term debt allowance.

The final page of the proposal put together by Cook invokes L-W North's mascot, the phoenix, and the words: "We Will Rise Again As a Unit." The next District 161 board meeting is May 23

YOUR TURN: What do you think of the idea to turn Summit Hill School District 161 into a unit district? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section.

Lincoln-Way North High School (Photo via Patch archive)