Posted October 16, 2006

The Glen Ellyn School District 41 Boundary Advisory Committee held its kick-off meeting Oct. 12, organizing its work and developing processes for communication and gathering input from the larger community. Consisting of parents from each school, the members represent the broad demographics of the school community including grade level, geographical location, culture, gender and special needs. The committee will examine current school attendance area boundaries, evaluate current space usage and develop a boundary recommendation for review by the Board of Education (BOE). The plan is to present the recommendation on Dec. 18, with a decision by the BOE in January. If boundaries are to be adjusted for the 2007-2008 school year, the decision needs to be made in time for registration, which begins in January.

The committee may recommend no changes, moderate changes or significant changes. “The committee members have all agreed that it is essential to approach their work with diverse perspectives and a willingness to see the District as a whole,” said Superintendent Dr. Ann Riebock, who had asked each principal and PTA president to work together to recruit committee members. “The efforts of the PTA presidents were essential in helping us meet this tight time frame so that work could begin,” said Riebock.

The committee discussed what criteria should guide its work, criteria which will be communicated once finalized. “Your charge is to determine whether or not making a boundary change can create greater equity in educational opportunities for the children in this district,” said Riebock, “and your recommendation must stand up against the criteria you choose. We will no doubt have some difficult conversations, but each of us brings our best to this and we will respect our differences.”

Committee meetings are working sessions held in public, and community members are welcome to come and listen to the proceedings. To provide input or ask questions, residents may email boundaries@d41.org, may complete an input form, and may speak at the Nov. 30 public meeting on boundaries (time and location yet to be determined). They may also speak at any Board of Education meeting, including the Dec. 18 meeting, at which the committee plans to present its recommendation. The next Boundary Advisory Committee meeting, which will focus on reviewing current space usage, is set for Thursday, Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m. at Central Services, 793 N. Main St., Glen Ellyn. The building principals will share with the committee building diagrams that depict usage and capacity for each space, and the committee will review space needs related to special education and English Language Learning programs.


Related links
Boundary Advisory Committee roster
Boundary Advisory Committee Meeting Schedule
boundaries@d41.org
Resident boundary input form
Boundary FAQs