Boundary lines under development for new Hampshire Elementary School

Algonquin-based Community School District 300 started the process for deciding where the potential boundaries will be for the new elementary school currently under construction in Hampshire.

Work on the new elementary school, which is set to open in August 2022, began in May at the intersection of Big Timber Road and Ridgecrest Drive.

Meant to address capacity issues because of population growth in the western part of the district, this new school is estimated to cost $30.8 million.

The school utilization and capacity committee has been working with the firm DecisionInsite, to help develop three to five boundary options that will be presented to the school board during its Sept. 14 meeting, said Jason Emricson, District 300′s executive director of information technology and operations.

DecisionInsite “provides the nation’s school district leaders with the technology, analytics and expertise they need to understand how enrollment impacts their District,” according to its website.

At the board’s Sept. 20 meeting, board members will provide feedback on the options, which will also be presented to the community. Then, in December, a final boundary recommendation will be made to the board.

The new building’s principal is also expected to be announced in October, as well as the process that will be followed for the naming of the new school, Emricson said.

As previously reported by the Northwest Herald, the 86,260-square-foot, two-story building will include 40 classrooms, a gym, a library and a media center.

District 300 will most likely create a webpage to provide updates relating to the new school, Superintendent Susan Harkin said, adding that there’s been lots of excitement about it.

But with that enthusiasm from the community also comes some concerns, such as who will be a part of the new school.

“I’m confident we’ll have an excellent principal and excellent staff at the new elementary school,” Harkin said. “But certainly we all get attached to our school, our staff, our teachers, ... and so we’re really going to really make sure that we’re providing a place for people to go to on this topic.”

In addition, the district has gone through the process of making boundary changes in the past.

“[We’ve] made sure we’ve done our job to listen and help our parents understand the need for the change,” Harkin said. “We certainly want to make sure people have ready access to what’s going on so they understand where that timeline goes and they don’t miss those steps in the process.”