Elk Grove Village divided over plan that would move students to different schools in name of equity
ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. (CBS) -- A proposal to restructure the Elk Grove Village School District has a community divided.
Some of the changes include moving students to different schools based on their grade level in the name of equity, according to school officials.
CBS 2's Marybel González spoke to parents and educators on both sides of the debate.
In a serene park in Elk Grove Village, a group of parents meets often to discuss the hotly-debated school proposal.
They oppose the plan by Community Consolidated School District 59 to reconfigure its schools into grade level centers – where some schools would house kindergarten through second grade, and others second through fifth grade – instead of the traditional K-5 model. There are other changes in addition.
Cheryl Nowak is one of the moms who opposes the plan. Her son has special needs, and she says for him, a change of schools would mean disruption.
"It feels very rushed," Nowak said. "I moved here for the schools. I'm close enough where we can walk, and to be told my child has to take the bus and go somewhere else – what was the point of coming here?"
It is a concern that the District Supt. Dr. Terri Bresnahan doesn't take lightly.
"These are very difficult decisions to be made," Bresnahan said. "These are ones that, again, draw out a lot of emotional reactions; plans that people have made within their communities."
But she said the greater goal of the proposal is to create equity amongst the students in the district – especially after a study they conducted found eight areas where there are disparities among the schools – diversity, commuting times, and declining enrollment.
"What we're trying to build is a solution that is in the best long-term interests of the whole community so that we don't have to continue to further move marginalized groups of students within our system," Bresnahan said.
A teacher and parent, Erin Schneider, agrees.
"I think it would create an equitable class sizes as well, so that some buildings aren't having huge classes and others are having small classes," Schneider said.
The proposal is still in talks, with at least two more meetings scheduled in the matter. It will ultimately need to be approved by the education board.
"My hope is that by November, we have a vote by the board, but that maybe we need to take a little bit more time," Bresnahan said.
The parents and the superintendent agree this is a complicated issue, and they will have another meeting Sept. 22. For a breakdown of the proposal, follow this link.