School District Restructuring Would Put Green Garden Students on Bus

By Erin Gallagher

Green Garden Elementary students will be bussed to Peotone if the school district approves a proposed restructuring on Nov. 18.

Peotone School District 207U Superintendent Steve Stein recommends the district adopt grade centers, which gather all the same-grade kids under one roof.

The district encompasses parts of Frankfort Township, Green Garden, Wilton Township, Wilton Center, Manhattan Township and Peotone.

If the reconfiguration is approved, students from all areas would be bussed to Peotone Elementary for kindergarten to third grade. Then they would be bussed to Green Garden for fourth and fifth grades. Wilton Center Elementary School would close.

The cost of the bussing would equate to the savings of closing Wilton Center, Stein said. Stein admits the plan would save the district no money, but would alleviate the problem of the wide gap in class sizes among the schools.

Grade centers would allow the district to be more efficient with staffing and minimize staff commuting between schools, he said.

The district has seen a 20 percent reduction in elementary grade enrollment since 2008.

The problems outweigh the benefits, according to Wilton Township Supervisor Gynith Borden. She told the board at the third special meeting last week that closing Wilton Center School would hurt property values, and invite vandalism to the vacant building. Also, several parents at the meeting voiced opposition to bussing.

The reconfiguration would force the youngest children to ride the same busses as the high school-aged kids. Kindergarteners would learn vocabulary from teenagers, one person said.

Romelia Placencia, whose son attends Green Garden, asked how long he would be on the bus. Board President Tara Robinson said bus routes would be worked out only if the board voted to approve Stein’s reconfiguration plan.

Several people, including Erin Elder, said that the decision is being pushed too quickly. It is the details, such as bus times, that would greatly impact families and should be considered before the vote.

Another key issue in Monday’s discussion was the intent to keep Connor Shaw building open for administration and preschool. Built in 1927, parents called Shaw a “money pit” with asbestos problems and dangerous steps.

“I would be scared to put a stop watch on those little kids at the top of the stairs and see how well they do getting out,” Wilton Township Highway Commissioner Ray Nugent said, describing a potential emergency.

Jill Brennan said that her son’s class was moved from the stage to the bleachers to eat lunch after “stuff fell off the ceiling” into their food.

Wilton Center, Green Garden and Peotone elementary schools were all built in 1959.

The Peotone School Board began public discussions about the reconfiguration on September 23. It has held three special meetings. Member Adam Baumgartner was absent during two of those meetings.

The district surveyed residents a couple years ago about future enrollment. Parents who responded were not contacted about the special meetings.

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