conservativeBrand

It’s all about the children, right? Below, read about the educational problems/objectives in the New Trier school board building plan. Make up your own mind if these are worth $174 million - and by the way, how would Harvard, Yale and Princton classrooms measure up to the “New Trier” standard? More at http://www.newtrier.k12.il.us/media/files/content/New_Trier_Web_Site/Administration/Facilities_Planning/LongRangePlanFinal041709.pdf

Educational Program

• Students in all major academic courses (English, math, social studies, modern/classical languages, business, health, special education) meet in small, inflexible classrooms.

• Elective and specialty program spaces are outdated - art, family & consumer sciences, kinetic wellness, music, speech & theatre, technology education. For example, music rooms are too small for optimal instruction, practice, and instrument storage; they also lack proper acoustics and adequate technology.

• A shortage of classrooms results in a growing inability to meet the changing curricular needs of students, as course offerings change over time and as college expectations shift toward more academic courses taken during high school. Classrooms in every department are scheduled near the maximum, with room availability being a serious constraint on course availability most periods of the day.

–More science lab, classroom, and lab storage space are needed due to increased enrollment in science courses and shifting curricular (and technology) needs in science.

– A greater quantity and quality of space is needed for theatre/performing arts spaces.

– The KineticWellness curricular focus on life-time fitness and conditioning cannot be completely accommodated in current spaces.

– The limited number and sizes of certain specialty classrooms preclude full enrollment in some programs (photography, KineticWellness, and cooking classes, for example), resulting in students being turned away from classes each year.

• Technology integration is limited due to building constraints, and very few “laptop-friendly” classrooms and study spaces exist. Building inadequacies prevent effective retro-fitting of technology into classroom buildings dating from 1912-1957.

If your mind is not yet numbed, it might be worth a visit to the most recent Kasarda demographic report (November 2006, updated to the current year) at http://www.newtrier.k12.il.us/media/files/content/New_Trier_Web_Site/Administration/Communications/Publications/EnrollmentProjections%20.pdf. Kasarda reports that this year’s enrollment at New Trier, 4,151 students, declined fropm 4,178 in the previous year and is projected to decline again next year. The demographic conclusion: “Under the more likely Series B assumptions (future housing turnover and family in-migration occurring as currently anticipated), Table 45 [see actual report] shows that high school enrollment will decline next year to 4,131 students and then rise to 4,266 students in 2013-14 before dropping again to 3,987 students in 2018-19, and level off near that number through 2023-24.”

Enrollment projections are the only real justification for capital spending on schools. It’s going to remain a hard sell to the taxpayers of New Trier Township if these numbers hold.