LIVE BLOG: D161 Board Votes Again; Mary Drew School to Close in 2012-13

It was standing-room only at the Summit Hill school district offices as the board re-voted to close the elementary, 4-3, during a special meeting Tuesday. Read the transcript of the live blog for the details.

In a 4-3 vote, the board of education for Summit Hill School District 161 approved Tuesday at a special meeting the closing of Mary Drew Elementary School this fall despite the public outcry from close to 250 parents and community members to keep it open and calls for board President Mary Kenny to resign. Kenny, along with board Vice President Joy Murphy, board Secretary Denise Lenz and board member Denise Wildeveld, voted to close Mary Drew. Board members George Perros, Sean William Doyle and Stacey Borgens voted to keep the school opening.  Throughout the meeting, members of the public voiced their displeasure, yelling and shouting at board members. On more than one occassion, Kenny used her gavel to try to bring order back to the …

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Rose C

10:26 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Metro, I agree this district has gone through many things - good and bad - over the past 30 years. But I have to agree with taxpayer, you need to check your facts before you attack Mrs. Kenny. She has spent years fighting for the entire district in situations that were not popular and when in the minority - she was completely ignored many times. I'm not setting her up for saint hood however, …   more ›

Editor's Notebook

POLL: Should Parents Try to Stop Mary Drew Closure in the 11th Hour?

Tuesday's re-vote over closing the elementary school has given some parents and residents cause to try to make a final attempt to save Mary Drew. But is that the right thing to do? Tell us what you think.

Tuesday's re-vote by the Summit Hill School District 161 board to close Mary Drew Elementary School for the 2012-13 school year might be a formality. But it hasn't stopped parents from trying to persuade the board to reverse course. The board scheduled a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the district offices to vote again on the closing after a community member filed a grievance Friday that the board didn't sufficiently notify the public that it would be taking action to close Mary Drew at its Feb. 22 meeting. The closing was included under the "Planning for the Future" agenda item at last week's meeting, where board members voted to shutter the school next school year. READ: Board Will Vote Again to Close Mary Drew Parents and other…

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Tracy

10:32 pm on Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Well, reality is it was never off the table, and neither is a second school, or programs or busing or activities... it's just begining. I'm on the blogfs and pod casts when not at meetings, feel free to sit by me at the next one. Still doesn't change that the board snuck it on the agenda, vote wise, and that guilt was acknowledged.   more ›

Community, Parents Respond to Mary Drew's Closing

Find out what Summit Hill D161 residents had to say about the board's decision to shutter the school.

The closing of Mary Drew Elementary School had parents and residents of Summit Hill School District 161 reacted Thursday to the news. Patch spoke with some of them and compiled comments from the story about the board's decision to shutter the school. Tony Pietrzak, two children attending Mary Drew Tony Pietrzak said Thursday he was organizing a group of parents that would petition the board to reconsider its decision on cutting full-day kindergarten, as well as hiring an outside consulting firm to develop the best financial plan for dealing with the district's $3 million projected deficit over three years. Pietrzak, who has two children that attend Mary Drew, also applied for the open board position recently filled by Denise Wildeveld. …

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UPDATED: D161 Board Votes to Close Mary Drew Elementary School

After a fierce debate among members, the Summit Hill school board approved closing the elementary school for 2012-13 in a 4-3 vote.

Only a couple hours after Mary Drew Elementary School students gave presentations before its members, the Summit Hill School District 161 board voted 4-3 to close the school as part of its ongoing budget-cutting process. Two weeks ago, the board changed course with its three-year financial plan, voting to keep the full-day kindergarten program after deciding to drop it during a budget workshop earlier this month. After the vote, board president Mary Kenny asked that discussion concerning the possibility of closing one to two district schools in the 2012-13 school year be put on the agenda for the Wednesday, Feb. 22, meeting. Board members Sean William Doyle, George Perros and Stacey Borgens voted against the closing, saying more time and …

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Serioulsy?

5:13 pm on Tuesday, February 28, 2012

So, what are the class size maximums? Are they the ones presented on the model (25 for 1st & 2nd and 27 for 3rd & 4th) or were those what they were going to raise them up to if they didn't close a school?   more ›

New Cost-Cutting Model Could Close Mary Drew School: Analysis

D161 Superintendent Barb Rains unveiled a new proposal Monday that could eliminate the district's 2012-13 deficit and lay the foundation for a three-year money-saving plan. We break it down for you.

In the quest to make up for a 2012-13 budget deficit of about $2.5 million, Superintendent Barb Rains introduced a new money-saving option to Summit Hill School District 161 board members and the public for the first time at a packed meeting Monday. And like previous suggested proposals, this one--if selected--would close a school, in this case Mary Drew Elementary School. The new model, which Rains developed, would take advantage of enrollment projections that put Mary Drew at 359 students below capacity in 2012-13. Students in grades 1-4 would be redistributed to the other district schools without dramatically increasing class sizes, according to the plan. Closing Mary Drew would create an immediate savings of about $350,000 from the …

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taxpayer

5:50 pm on Wednesday, January 25, 2012

@Concerned Parent. Your comment was just plain out RUDE. First of all, you insuating where I am from just proves your ignorance toward taxpayers in 161. If you must know, I have lived in the square for over 15 years, quite frankly, I live by the fire station. In no way what so ever did I attack you, Mary Drew school, Aubury Hills school or Frankfort Square school. I do have my facts straight. I …   more ›