Lincoln-Way School District Expected To Shutter One Of Four High Schools
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A southwest suburban school district likely will close one of its four schools at the end of the upcoming school year, after falling far short of enrollment expectations.
With four schools in New Lenox and Frankfort, the board of financially-troubled Lincoln-Way Community High School District 210 was expected to vote Thursday night on whether to close one of those schools next year.
The move comes just 10 years after voters approved a referendum to spend $225 million to build two brand new schools.
Supt. Scott Tingley, who was not with the district then, said the decision to build two new schools was based on projections that enrollment would grow to 10,000 by now. Instead, the district has only 7,000 students.
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Tingley blamed the housing market crash of 2007.
"We were growing leaps and bounds. Will County was one of the fastest growing counties in the country, and then in 2007-2008, that all stopped," he said.
It was unclear which of the four Lincoln-Way schools would be closed, but Tingley acknowledged, no matter which gets the axe, it will be traumatic for students and parents.
"It's very emotional. Everybody's very committed. It makes it even more difficult that we have four outstanding schools. Nobody's willing to give up their high school," he said.
Tingley said closing one of the four schools won't solve all the district's financial problems, but certainly would help.
