Schools

District 112 Sets Discussions on Buildings' Future

Superintendent's committee on future of District's buildings and mission will give report, seek input in February.

After a year of discussion and study, people will learn the recommendations of North Shore School District 112 Superintendent David Behlow’s Citizen Finance and Facilities Advisory Committee for the future of the District’s mission and buildings in February.

Behlow, who will retire at the end of the current school year, said in a letter to District families last week there will be a series of meetings in February where ideas will be presented and input will be welcome.

Aside from Oak Terrace, which was rebuilt a few years ago, the average age of the District’s schools is 74 years, according to Behlow’s email.

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

“They were built to meet the needs of learners in the early to mid-1900s,” Behlow said in the email. “Many cannot support 21st century technology, have small and inflexible spaces that don't meet the needs of today's students, do not meet Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements and require extensive renovation.”

When the facilities issue is combined with financial challenges, problems become more acute. Though budget cuts have been made, other tests remain, according to Behlow. “The district operates a large number of schools for the number of students it serves,” he said in the email.

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

The meetings are scheduled 9:30 a.m. Feb. 13, 9 p.m. Feb. 19, 9:30 a.m. Feb. 22, 9 p.m. Feb. 26 and 9 p.m. Feb. 27 at the Highland Park Country Club as well as 4 p.m. March 2 at Oak Terrace. The first five meetings will be conducted in English with Spanish translation available while the Oak Terrace gathering will be in Spanish only.

The complete email is available on the District’s website.

Want Highland Park news in your inbox? Subscribe to Patch's newsletter. Then, "like" us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


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