Lincoln-Way school officials will closely examine school closure scenarios

NEW LENOX — Lincoln-Way school officials plan to tweak school closure scenarios for each of the four high schools in the coming weeks as they consider closing one of the buildings in an attempt to fix the district’s financial crisis.

Board members are focused on closing a school after Thursday’s meeting. The board recommended district administrators drum up more closure scenarios and look into bringing in an outside consultant.

State education officials are requiring Lincoln-Way come up with plan by September that will reduce the deficit spending that has landed the district on the state financial watch list.

Lincoln-Way Superintendent Scott Tingley already has given board members scenarios for the closing of each school, which focus on keeping feeder schools together if a high school closes or drawing new boundaries.

“I think the biggest discussion now is, do we look at keeping our junior highs? Or does the board look at implementing boundary lines and break the junior highs up?” Tingley said.

He said Friday he has not contacted the Illinois State Board of Education about closing a school but he has been in touch with its consultant. Lincoln-Way has been working with ISBE and PMA Financial Network on resolving its budget deficits.

The numbers for a deficit reduction plan have already been vetted and school officials are ready to submit it from a “number standpoint,” Tingley said. School officials do not have to notify ISBE of which school they plan to close, he said.

But from a personnel standpoint, he said if a school were to close, district officials would have to let teachers and staff know about a reduction in force or nonrenewal of contracts by next spring at the latest. Tingley said the goal would be to let them know sooner, either by January or early February.

Borrowing issues

Tingley mentioned at Thursday’s board meeting Lincoln-Way is borrowing to make up for its poor financial situation. Several years ago, the school district borrowed $6 million in tax anticipation loans but declining fund balances have caused school officials to keep borrowing, he said.

At this point, district officials will be somewhere between $26 million to $30 million in borrowing, depending on state aid and property taxes, he said.

“The hole keeps getting deeper and deeper,” he said Friday.

Lincoln-Way is still paying off the $225 million building bond referendum that led to the construction of Lincoln-Way North and West, as well as renovations for Central and East schools. Tingley said those bonds are long term but a lack of growth in overall assessed property values has caused increases in bond and interest rates.

‘We’re moving fast’

In recent weeks, residents have created several Facebook groups in response to an impending school closing, with one group supporting Lincoln-Way North, another West and one supporting all schools. The residents who spoke at Thursday’s meeting were either upset with school officials, or wanted more information and time.

“We’re moving fast. People don’t have the time or thought to consider much,” said Tim Meade, whose daughter attends Lincoln-Way North.

Several school board members told them they were listening and considering all of their messages. Board member Christopher Kosel said they don’t “take this lightly, even slightly.”

Another board member, Christopher McFadden, said he wished some of the anger would be directed at state lawmakers who cut education funding.

“I would love if people wearing their Lincoln-Way West jerseys, their Lincoln-Way North jerseys, would get on a bus and go down to Springfield and say ‘We are tired of these cuts, we are not going to take this anymore,’” McFadden said, before he was cut off by cheering.