Sycamore parents react to proposed Sycamore District 427 elementary school boundary changes

SYCAMORE – Parents of North Grove Elementary students reacted this week to a Sycamore Community School District 427 proposal that could change which elementary school their children go to as early as this fall.

The North Grove meeting was the first in several public sessions planned this month to give Sycamore parents and teachers the ability to ask questions and voice reaction about the elementary school boundary plan. District 427 officials are grappling with what they said is uneven population growth on the city’s north side. Officials have said the growth has lead to overflow at North Grove Elementary School compared to lower census numbers on the south side.

More than 30 individuals attended the meeting to learn more about the proposal that, if approved in a late February school board meeting, would be implemented before the start of the next school year.

According to the presentation shown at the public meeting, the proposed changes to elementary school boundaries would reduce North Grove Elementary’s enrollment by more than 15%.

Mary Fischer, a North Grove parent, said she thinks more students should be sent elsewhere in Sycamore.

“Let’s not make a change that’s not enough,” Fischer said during the meeting. “Let’s have enough foresight so we are not having problems down the road.”

According to district data, 477 students are enrolled at North Grove Elementary. If the proposed boundary revisions were in place today, the school’s enrollment would fall to 403, sending 74 children to other schools in the district regardless of where their family lives.

“I do think this is enough,” Sycamore Superintendent Steve Wilder said in response.

Earlier in the meeting, Wilder suggested the district conduct a compulsory boundary study every five years to help identify trends and better anticipate growth in the community.

Wilder said reviewing elementary boundaries on a more regular basis will allow the district to monitor elementary school enrollments and share that information with community partners.

“We may see at that point that it’s starting to look like this is going to happen, so it’s not a surprise to you, it’s not a surprise to us,” Wilder said. “We could plan for that. You guys know it’s coming, so that every 13 years we’re not in a situation like this.”

Wilder told the crowd the study the district conducted in the fall to formulate the proposed boundary changes was the first done in the district in more than a dozen years and the first he’s done as an head administrator. Wilder was hired in early 2020 to lead the district.

Fischer, as well as another parent who asked not to be named, said they believe the district should present enrollment projections for more than one year in the future under the current proposal.

Fischer said she’s worried North Grove Elementary could face the same population issue that’s prompting the proposed boundary change within a few years if more than 74 students aren’t sent to other schools.

The district’s elementary school boundaries went into effect when North Grove Elementary School opened in 2009. That also was the last time Sycamore schools conducted a boundary study.

“There were about 470 students that needed to be moved from the other four schools to here,” Wilder said. “This is much different. We’re not moving that many students. It’s going to impact about 160 students.”

According to a districtwide survey, Sycamore parents overwhelmingly said they want their children to remain at their schools, however.

Wilder said he understands how impactful changing schools can be on students and expressed interest in grandfathering students into fifth or fourth grade at their schools.

“I would love to do that, but until I know what the final plan looks like, and whether or not we have space to accommodate students doing that, I can’t get into that answer yet,” Wilder said. “If I tell one fifth grade family that they can stay, every fifth grade student has to be able to stay.”

Wilder said he’s focused on making sure the redrawn boundaries are divided at natural boundaries in the community and don’t split up neighborhoods. Fischer told Wilder, however, she’s worried the new boundaries are being drawn along socioeconomic lines.

“I know you’re trying to follow example boundaries, but there seem to be socioeconomic boundaries that are being established with this ... and I find that concerning, and I don’t like it,” Fischer said.

She said her residence won’t be affected by the proposed boundary changes.

“I mean, they’re essentially taking the lowest-income community and plunking it all in one school,” Fischer said after the meeting. “Are they going to provide resources there? Are they going to double the resource to support the staff? I don’t know.”

Wilder said he doesn’t disagree with Fischer, however, and said he wished he could have better prioritized inclusive diversity while balancing what is required of the proposed boundary changes.

Asked why it wasn’t better balanced by Fischer, Wilder said it’s “things like transportation” that inhibited diversity efforts.

“First of all, transporting students from one area of the community to another just to balance low income I didn’t think was fair either, and I don’t know that I’d feel comfortable saying this neighborhood can go to this school just to balance socioeconomic or low-income families,” Wilder said. “I wish we could have balanced it better because I value everything that you just talked about.”

Asked by a parent in the crowd why transportation has been an issue, Wilder said a nationwide shortage of school bus drivers has been developing for a long time and that there are simply not people out there who want to drive school buses.

In 2021, the need for bus drivers was so high, Wilder has grabbed the wheel himself. Wilder had said he’s been certified to drive a school bus for the past 12 years and fills in as needed.

“Mr. Wilder drove my kid’s bus to school last year too,” Sycamore parent Kristine Adzovic said. “When my bus driver was sick, I opened the door and I’m like, ‘Wait a minute. Have I seen you before? Thank you for taking my kid to school!’”

After the meeting, Adzovic said she thinks the boundary change is “a really hard issue.”

“I think that a lot of time and effort has gone into planning and trying to make proposals,” Adzovic said. “I appreciate the hours that have been poured into it and, yeah, I don’t think there’s any perfect reason or there’s not any perfect end result to any of it. I think that everybody’s trying as best they can.”

Wilder said he will present his final recommendation to the district’s school board Feb. 14 after all the elementary school public meetings have convened.

The board will then have two weeks to mull over the recommendation before an expected vote Feb. 28.

Wilder said the recommendation may change before Feb. 14, but he doesn’t anticipate major changes to what’s been laid out.

The next public meeting on the proposed boundary changes will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Southeast Elementary School, 718 Locust St. The third meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Jan. 25 at West Elementary School, 240 Fair St., and the fourth will be at 7 p.m. Jan. 26 at South Prairie Elementary School, 820 Borden Ave. The final meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Jan. 30 at North Elementary School, 1680 Brickville Road.

Here are the changes that would occur if the plan is approved by Sycamore Community School District 427′s board:

• Residences bordered by Main Street, Mount Hunger Road and the Kishwaukee River would change over to within North Elementary School’s boundary.
• Residences between Main Street, the Kishwaukee River and State Street would become West Elementary School homes.
• Southeast Elementary School would welcome the entirety of the Stone Prairie rental community.
• Residences bordered by Sacramento Street, DeKalb Avenue, Somonauk and Edward streets, as well as homes between Meadow Lane, DeKalb Avenue, South Cross Street and Edward Street would be folded into West Elementary School territory.
• The Woodgate subdivision, bordered by DeKalb Avenue and Peace Road, would fall within the South Prairie Elementary school boundary.