Schools

District 41 Unveils Three-Phase Plan for Nixing Portables and Accommodating Students

The first phase of the plan would cost $8-10 million and involve building 16 new brick-and-mortar classrooms, four at each D41 elementary school.

Glen Ellyn School District 41 has unveiled a new plan to use $8-10 million in reserves to build new brick-and-mortar classrooms in order to phase out use of the District’s sub-par portables, the Chicago Tribune reports.

According to the paper, the 16 new classrooms (four at each D41 elementary school) would be part of a three-phase plan for being able to accommodate students, the second phase being to hold a referendum vote on building a new elementary school for 450 to 550 students and expanding Hadley Junior High, and the third phase being to add innovation labs and full-day kindergarten.

“This approach combines the desire for lab space with the need for more classroom space,” District 41 Superintendent Paul Gordon wrote in a Sept. 12 message to the community. “This direction addresses our most pressing needs first and is in direct alignment with our long-term goal: bringing all kids under [a] roof in schools that support 21st century learning."

Find out what's happening in Glen Ellynwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Currently, about 500 District 41 students are learning in portable classrooms, the Tribune said. Additionally, the paper reports, the $300,000 previously approved for "innovation labs" will instead go towards the design costs for the new classrooms.

According to District 41, the plans and funding information for  will go to the Finance Committee and to the BOE for discussion on Sept. 23, and the administration hopes to request permission to go out for bid by early November. The proposed referendum would not be held for another 2-4 years, the Tribune reports.

Find out what's happening in Glen Ellynwith free, real-time updates from Patch.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here