Each year District 202 welcomes 2,400 to 2,500 new students to its learning community. Currently, we serve almost 20,000 students at 20 campuses. As our growth continues, the need for new schools continues. Projections show the district serving 55,000 students in the next 15-20 years. It is anticipated that an additional 34 schools will need to be built at an estimated net cost of about $800,000,000.  (See section II)

 The capital outlays plus the ongoing costs of operating these schools is a significant financial responsibility that has been and will be borne, for the most part, by the local property owners, the vast majority of which are homeowners.

Historically, our community has rallied behind our students and approved both building bond referenda and education fund referenda to support our growing enrollment. In fact, in March 2002, the community approved $159.9 million to build seven campuses over five years. The Board of Education was able to offset that cost by nearly $68 million through the State Construction Grant program. The recent advent of school facility impact fees that are being imposed by Plainfield and Joliet on future annexations will also reduce the burden on the taxpayer.

By 2007-2008, the schools approved in that referendum will be built and the district will again be facing space issues. Again our enrollment will exceed the number of seats available for students. Knowing that it cannot solely rely on the commitment of taxpayers to support our growth, the Board of Education believes it has the responsibility to research other potential solutions including impact fees to assist in paying for new school construction, lobbying efforts with our legislators in Springfield and Washington D.C. for school funding reform and alternative scheduling options including split shifts, overlap schedules and year round education.

In January 2003, the District 202 Board of Education formed a community-based task force to research the concept of Year Round Education. The scope and purpose of the task force is to study the concept of implementing year-round school in District 202 and its effects on students and on the learning community. This fact-finding committee has been studying the concept of YRE in order to bring a comprehensive report to the Board of Education.

The members of the task force, whose names appear below, consist of parents, teachers, support staff, administration, community members and a board of education member.

Facilitators

• Jon Balke – Assistant Superintendent (Retired)
• Ron Kazmar – Board of Education Member

• Glenna Adams – Timber Ridge Middle School Principal
• Brad Bueschel – Walkers Grove Elementary School Principal
• Eileen Nelson – Ridge Elementary School Principal
• George Schlott – Plainfield High School Central Campus Assistant Principal
• Sharon Gronemeyer – District Director of Special/Alternative Education

Teachers

• Terri Lucas-Anderson – Plainfield Academy
• Karie Beck – Association of Plainfield Teachers President
• Linda Schultz – Lakewood Falls Elementary School
• Steve Jepsen – Lakewood Falls Elementary School
• Gay Gallagher- Heritage Grove Middle School

Support Staff

• Mary Ann Kosicek – Timber Ridge Middle School Secretary

Parents

• Robert Galick – Elementary
• Maria Lyons – Elementary
• Gary Hutchison – Middle/High School
• Melanie Jones – Elementary/Middle
• Dave Strom – Elementary/Middle School

Community Members At Large

• James Ariagno
• James Waldorf

Advisory

• Steve Langert – Asst. Superintendent for Finance/Operations – District 230 and PCCSD 202 parent

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Definition of YRE

Single track YRE alters the traditional school calendar to permit a shorter summer vacation and allocates the time spent in school in a more balanced way throughout the year. Students still spend the same number of attendance days in school as they do on a traditional calendar. The school year begins earlier, ends later, and redistributes the students’ in-class and vacation time.

Multi-track YRE, which is what the task force is studying, involves that same concept but in addition to reallocating the school calendar, multi-track involves groups of students rotating on different attendance schedules called tracks. Multi-track’s greatest single advantage is that it has the potential to save the capital outlays for additional schools by increasing the student enrollment capacity of each school by up to 33%. Here is how it works:

Example:

Sample Schedule

July				August				September
1 to 9	10 to 16	17 to 23	24 to 30	31 to 4	5 to 11	12 to 18	19 to 25	26 to 1	2 to 8	9 to 15	16 to 22	23 to 29
Xxxx	1111	1111	1111	1111	1111	1111	1111	1111	1111
Xxxx	2222	2222	2222	2222	2222	2222				2222	2222	2222
Xxxx	3333	3333	3333				3333	3333	3333	3333	3333	3333
Xxxx				4444	4444	4444	4444	4444	4444	4444	4444	4444
October				November					December
30 to 6	7 to 13	14 to 20	21 to 27	28 to 3	4 to10	11 to 17	18 to 24	25 to 1	2 to 8	9 to 15	16 to 22	23 to 29
1111	1111	1111	1111	1111	1111	1111	1111	1111				xxxx
2222	2222	2222	2222	2222	2222				2222	2222	2222	xxxx
3333	3333	3333				3333	3333	3333	3333	3333	3333	xxxx
			4444	4444	4444	4444	4444	4444	4444	4444	4444	xxxx
January					February				March