School Closures: Summit Hill Board To Decide Schools’ Fate

FRANKFORT, IL — The closure of Summit Hill District 161's Arbury Hills School and Frankfort Square School will be up for approval at the Board of Education's meeting on Wednesday.

The agenda item is listed under "additional action items" and is listed as "approval of resolution authorizing the closure" of the two schools. Arbury Hills is located at 19651 Beechnut Drive, in Mokena; and Frankfort Square School is at 7710 W. Kingston Drive, in Frankfort.

Also on Wednesday's agenda is an approval to move early childhood and preschool to Mary Drew Elementary School.

Mary Drew was closed in 2012 during a budget crisis for the District. The District still owns the building, using it for some programming for different organizations like Frankfort Square Park District.

According to the District FAQ, this process of school closure consideration was started years ago, when the district began to see continued declining student enrollment.

"What was once a 3,600+ student District, now rests at 2,433 students in 2023," the District said, adding that enrollment will again decline next year.

The Board had been previously considering the closure of Indian Trail School as well, but it was removed from the list of potential closures due to the number of classrooms at the building, Superintendent Paul McDermott said.

Arbury Hills School was built in 1960, according to District documents. The school's latest addition was in 2000, and it has the capacity of 456 students. A 2021 facility report showed that estimated repair costs for the school would be around $3.5 million.

Frankfort Square School was built in 1973, and its latest addition was in 2000. The school has a capacity of 426 students. A 2021 facility report estimated repair costs at $2.6 million.

Plans for what to do with closed buildings could vary, and the District said several parties have expressed interest in the buildings.

"Once the District has a more definitive path forward, these conversations will intensify and include the District's architect and attorney," the District said

The Board meeting will begin at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at the administrative center, 20100 South Spruce Drive.