$57 Million From Pentagon Funds New Forrestal School In North Chicago School District 187

NORTH CHICAGO, IL — The North Chicago School District 187 community marked a major milestone in its progress to improve educational facilities for local military families with a groundbreaking ceremony Friday for a new $72 million school at Naval Station Great Lakes.

The new Forrestal School is funded by a $57 million grant from the Department of Defense’s Public Schools on Military Installations, or PSMI, program.

The rest of the cost will be covered through reserve funds, thanks to legislation sponsored by state Sen. Adriane Johnson (D-Buffalo Grove) and signed last month by Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

The law allows for Illinois public districts to bypass provisions of state law that require referendum approval for adding buildings, but only if they are designated as having higher levels of low-income students, have between 2,500 and 4,500 students, have a school on federal property and have received a PSMI grant for at least three quarters of a cost of a new building.

The Navy owns 31 percent of the land in North Chicago, and more than 11 percent of students at District 187 elementary, middle and high schools are from military-connected families, according to district officials.

---

The existing school has been on the military's priority list since 2019, according to the Defense Department's announcement of the grant last month.

According to Johnson, it has no drinkable water due to its lead pipes and needs asbestos insulation repair.

“Students spend so much of their time here, and we cannot continue to risk their health and well-being,” Johnson said. “Bypassing the referendum to begin this process sooner is simply the right thing to do. We owe students a safe learning environment.”

District 187 has faced significant fiscal and academic challenges in the past, culminating with state intervention in 2012.

The Illinois State Board of Education, or ISBE, dissolved the elected school board and appointed a five-member Independent Authority to oversee the district, citing long-standing financial mismanagement and academic underperformance.

The district closed three schools and balanced its budget, but it is unable to borrow any money until 2035 and is still paying about $4 million a year on interest on alternative revenue bonds the old board took out to cover a short-term need in 2010.

Prior to the state takeover, former District 187 Board President Gloria Harper and its former transportation director, Alice Sherrod, and three others were indicted in a corruption scheme involving kickbacks of up to $20,000 a month for student transportation contracts. All five defendants were eventually convicted of the fraud, which may well have wound up costing the district millions of dollars.

Current District 187 Superintendent John Price succeeded state-appointed CEO Ben Martindale in 2017. Since then, its rate of freshmen on track to graduate increased from 56 percent in 2018 to 91 percent in 2023, while the overall four-year graduation rate rose from 56 percent to 88 percent.

Meanwhile, teacher retention also improved dramatically, from 61 percent in 2018 to 83 percent in 2023.

And in 2019, North Chicago-based drugmaker Abbvie gave the district $40 million to rebuild its middle school, Neal Math and Science Academy, which opened in 2022.

---

Last week's groundbreaking ceremony for a new Forestall School was attended by senior Illinois U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, 10th District Congressman Brad Schneider, Lake County Board Chair Sandy Hart, North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham and U.S. Navy Capt. Stephen Yargos, commander of Naval Station Great Lakes.

Dora King, the chair of the district's Independent Authority Board, expressed her enthusiasm about the addition of the new three-story Forrestal School, which is set to be complete by the start of the 2026-27 school year.

“This is more than just a new building," King said. "it's a renewed promise to our students and their families. We're excited to see the positive impact this will have on our community, and I want to personally thank Dr. Price for his unwavering dedication and hard work in making this project a reality.”

The grant was awarded through the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, which supports infrastructure projects that benefit military families. According to the Pentagon, the office must give priority consideration for grants to improve schools with the most serious deficiencies.

"In correcting the identified facility condition and capacity issues at Forrestal Elementary School," Defense Department officials announced, "this grant keeps faith with service members, improves the quality of education for defense-connected students, aids in the recruitment and retention of vital skills at Naval Station Great Lakes, and enhances partnerships between the communities and the installation."

Daniel Glasson, the deputy director of the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, emphasized the Pentagon’s commitment to ensuring military families have access to quality education.

“Supporting educational infrastructure for military families is crucial,” said Glasson. “This project reflects the Department of Defense's commitment to partnering with local communities to enhance the quality of life for our service members.”

Related: Senator Highlights Uninhabitable Housing At Naval Station Great Lakes' 'Zombie Village'