Summit Hill SD 161 mulls school closure

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Students at Mary Drew School in Frankfort form a "peace" sign during a school celebration in October 2011. | File photo

Updated: February 14, 2012 10:18AM

Summit Hill School District 161 is facing a $2.5 million operating budget shortfall at the end of this fiscal year and has to make some tough decisions, according to Supt. Barb Rains.

In the first of three presentations, Rains, at Wednesday’s school board meeting, discussed options to solve the district’s financial woes.

Perhaps the hardest decision facing the board is the possible closing of Mary Drew School, 20130 S. Rosewood Drive, Frankfort.

One of the district’s five neighborhood elementary schools, Drew serves first- through fourth-graders. The district also has an intermediate attendance center for fifth and sixth grades and a junior high.

“This is our first proposal (to cut expenditures),” Board President Mary Kenny said. She said they also will study how closing other schools would impact the district.

Enrollment has declined in the past few years, Kenny said. It was declining before Drew School was remodeled, a project she opposed.

“The only way enrollment will increase is if something drastic happens with the economy,” Kenny said.

According to Rains, the district has a surplus of classrooms and reducing the number of schools would save $300,000 annually plus additional savings in transportation costs.

The proposal also includes reviewing personnel and improving efficiencies in order to reduce spending.

The re-bidding of contracts including transportation, cleaning and employee benefits also is being considered, Rains said.

A parent at the meeting, Liz Gonzales, suggested the district could reduce bus costs if sidewalks were completed at Julian Rogus and Hilda Walker schools.

“Does anyone at Rogus School walk? That entire building is bused. That is ridiculous,” she said.

Kenny said the board has been discussing the matter and the cost to install sidewalks at both schools is $60,000.

In the second and third year of the spending reduction proposal, the district would need to continue to downsize, possibly selling land adjacent to Rogus School in Frankfort, increasing class sizes and refinancing existing construction bonds, according to Rains.

The goal, Rains said, is “doing more without more.”

Rains is conducting a series of forums to obtain community feedback about the reductions. The first was scheduled for Thursday night. The next meetings will be Jan. 26 and Feb. 9.

Kenny said they cannot make up $2.5 million.

“We have to make cuts,” she said.

There was a $1.6 million shortfall last February, but the previous administration said cuts were not necessary because of grants and new property taxes, she said.

“They wanted things to look better than they were,” she said.