RI-Milan proposal calls for renovations, closure of schools
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By Sheena Dooley | Wednesday, September 19, 2007 |
Leaders in Rock Island-Milan School District want to close three elementary schools that have almost two centuries invested in educating children, according to a proposal unveiled Tuesday.
Rick Loy, Rock Island superintendent, unveiled a $22 million plan to board members during their regular meeting that calls for the construction of the first new school in more than three decades and the closure of Audubon, Horace Mann Choice School and the Intermediate Academy.
Also, the district would create a magnet school that focuses on math and science, while turning Longfellow Elementary School into a lab school centered on the liberal arts.
“Our Rock Island school students deserve this,” Loy said. “They deserve the best.”
ONLINE EXCLUSIVE
See the powerpoint presentation from the Rock Island School Board meeting that outlines the proposal. www.qctimes.com/multimedia/documents/070918_ri_schools.ppt
More specifically, the plan calls for:
-- Closing Horace Mann and replacing it with the new math and science magnet school, which would house 550 students and be located at the Villa de Chantel site. The school district would have to secure the Villa property.
-- Putting a significant addition onto Eugene Field Elementary. The school would absorb a majority of the displaced Audubon students.
-- Merging the Primary and Intermediate Academies into “The Academy,” which would be located at the current Primary Academy building. To house the additional students, an addition would be put on the school.
-- Forming a partnership with Augustana College to turn Longfellow into a lab school that equips teachers with the latest, most effective teaching strategies. Attendance boundaries for the school would shift, moving from 30th Street to 26th Street and from 14th Avenue north.
Loy declined to comment on whether any teachers at the three schools named for closure would lose their jobs. The district previously made a promise to its teacher union that no jobs would be lost as a result of the restructuring, according to union representatives.
Board members will vote on the proposal Oct. 2. If it is approved, the changes would not go into effect until August 2009, when construction is completed.
More than 50 parents, students, community members and staff from the district attended the meeting. None, however, spoke to the board about the recommendation. They will have the opportunity to do so during the board’s meeting next Tuesday.
Rock Island officials have spent more than a year looking at what to do with its antiquated elementary and junior high schools, which average 56 years in age. Enrollment in the district has dropped by 4,000 students in the last 30 years, leaving schools underutilized. At the same time, the district has lost funding, which is based on the number of students it serves.
Under Loy’s plan, the district would save $600,000 a year in operating costs. Those savings would flow back into the remaining schools to boost academic programs and staffing, he said.
The district plans to dip into its $22 million surplus to pay for part of the cost to renovate existing schools and build a new one. Property taxes would fund the other portion. To do that, however, the board has to get voter approval through a referendum to extend its current tax rate for another 10 years. It currently is set to expire in 2017.
Board members questioned the plan, asking whether the other remaining elementary and junior high schools would benefit from it. Loy said every school, except the high school, will undergo renovations to provide better space for gym classes, small learning groups and counselors, among other things.
The district also will consider building a new junior high school in the near future, Loy said.
“We have made the commitment to excellence and we cannot rest on that for a moment,” Loy said.
Sheena Dooley can be contacted at (563) 383-2363 or sdooley@qctimes.com.
WHAT’S NEXT
Here’s the timeline for moving forward with Rock Island superintendent Rick Loy’s proposal:
Next Tuesday: Community forum at the Rock Island High School library at 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 2: The school board votes on the measure.
Feb. 5: Tentative bond referendum
Aug. 1, 2009: Construction is completed and the district implements its plan
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