Suburban School District Poised To Lose $18 Million Grant
DOLTON, Ill. (CBS) -- A south suburban high school is in a bitter battle with state officials.
As CBS 2's Mike Parker reports, the fight could cost Thornridge High School in Dolton $18 million in aid, and my threaten teachers' jobs.
The students have gone home for the summer, and it's not clear what kind of school they'll be coming back to in the fall.
During the past year, the Illinois Board of Education awarded $18 million to the school to create a freshman-only campus. The idea was to target first year high schoolers with special teaching techniques to improve test scores, and foster intense learning.
Says School Board President Kenneth Williams, "They wanted to do something bold and radical that would be different."
But Williams says the grant meant freshmen from 13 surrounding suburbs were to be transferred into a new, reconfigured Thornridge, while older students were to be moved out. There was outrage from parents and students.
As Williams explains: "The community spoke. They didn't want it."
So the newly elected board, with Williams at the helm voted to keep the older students in one of the four campus buildings and set aside the other three for the freshman experiment.
Now, the State Board of Education, in an action they concede was "unusual and rare," decided to cancel the $18 million grant and to demand repayment of $1.5 million already spent on the program.
Williams says, "We're going to try to do everything we can to make sure we keep the money."
He says the local board will go to court if needed, and will enlist area state lawmakers to put some pressure on state officials.
The state Board of Education says the Thornton School District has until June 12 to decide whether to create the controversial freshman-only campus or the $18 million grant will be terminated. At that point Thornton would be forced to repay the $1.5 million in grant money it already has spent.
