Schools

District 47 Addresses Declining Enrollment

A recent report predicts the 8,000-students school district will have 1,000 fewer students in a decade.

A drop in enrollment within District 47 could come as a welcome change for the upcoming school year, said school board President Jeff Mason.

Specifically, he said, the decline could free up some space and open up more classrooms for teachers that have been sharing rooms. 

A recent study found the 8,000-student district is expected to lose 1,000 students in the next decade. In total, 981 Lake in the Hills kids attend  schools.

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District 47 Superintendent Donn Mendoza will present information on enrollment changes during tonight’s District 47 meeting at 6 p.m. at the CORE Center, 300 Commerce Drive in Crystal Lake.

“Such a decline in enrollment really gives us more options. We could look at such things as offering full-day kindergarten, or bringing back special education programs that the district is currently using SEDOM (Special Education District of McHenry County, located in Woodstock) for,” Mason said. “If anything, there’s an advantage to a decline in the numbers.” 

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How Schools Will Be Affected by Drop

For , 1100 Alexandra Blvd., Crystal Lake, the decline in enrollment means its health teacher will have her own classroom this year. In past years, Woods Creek’s health teachers have gone room-to-room because of high student enrollment numbers.

This year at Husmann Elementary School, 131 W. Paddock St., Crystal Lake, teachers will get to use their lounge again. Over the past two years, the school’s small teacher's lounge had been converted to a kindergarten classroom. Fewer students for the 2011-12 year means only four, instead of the typical five, sections of kindergarten classes are needed.

Fewer students at will mean their Spanish teacher will have her own space to teach students.

She “has never had her own classroom. She has gone room to room, with all her supplies on a cart. This year, she’s getting a classroom,” Mason said.

A Decrease in Enrollment: What's Next? 

Mason said District 47 pooled resources with Community High School District 155 and Cary Community Consolidated School District 26 to hire Dr. John Kasarda to conduct a basic population/enrollment study.

According to the Kasarda report, District 47 could lose up to 1,000 students within the coming decade, Mason said.

Changing housing and economic status could further impact that prediction.

Mason said District 47 typically sees a high number of new-student registrations over the summer, resulting from new families moving into the district.

However, for the past couple summer those numbers have been low.

"Our enrollment for the 2011-2012 school year is on track with what we anticipated,” Mason said. “We didn’t see a lot of (new) children enrolling over the summer.”

District 47 also has managed to free up classroom space by not replacing any of the 25 teachers who retired last year. And district officials have not replaced other posts.

“We have not filled 50 positions in the last year,” Mason said. “We have fewer teachers, but were able to maintain the class sizes. Everything seems to be working.”

A Northwest Herald article reported earlier this month that , but Mason told Patch this past week that such a closing is not up for discussion. 

“We are not mothballing any classrooms,” Mason said.

LITH Students Within District 47 Schools

The following list shows which District 47 schools the 981 Lake in the Hills students are enrolled:

  • Canterbury Elementary: 46
  • Coventry Elementary: 2
  • Glacier Ridge Elementary: 335
  • Husmann Elementary: 1
  • Indian Prairie Elementary: 122
  • North Elementary: 1
  • South Elementary: 4
  • Woods Creek Elementary: 106
  • Bernotas Middle School: 262
  • Lundahl Middle School: 88
  • Carl Wehde Early Childhood: 14


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