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Arbury Hills School

Thursday, July 12, 2012

D161 Board Hires New Arbury Hills Principal

Find out more about Jeffrey Gerard, an elementary school assistant principal from the Troy school district who will be the new principal at Arbury Hills. Plus, Summit Hill's assistant principal moves to Rogus, and the board rehires four teachers.

When it comes to ways to spend a wedding anniversary, attending a school board meeting probably ranks among the justifiable reasons for a spouse to file for divorce. But cut Jeffrey Gerard some slack. Wedding anniversaries are a yearly affair. Being named a principal for the first time is a bit rarer. The Summit Hill School District 161 board unanimously approved the hiring of Gerard as the new principal at Arbury Hills Elementary School at its meeting Wednesday, July 11. READ: Board Fills Administrative Holes at Summit Hill, Hilda Walker "It's a sense of relief," Gerard said about going through a closed session interview with board members before they voted on his hiring. "There was really good timing, though. It's nice to share this …

In this Article:

Mary Drew Elementary School, Arbury Hills School, UPDATED: D161 Board Fills Administrative Openings at Summit Hill, Hilda Walker, and 10 more ›

Jeff Libowitz

6:37 pm on Thursday, July 12, 2012

Jeff Gerard will do a GREAT job @ Arbury Hills! Congrats and welcome Jeff.   more ›

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

More Staff Hirings on Agenda for D161 Board

Summit Hill school district still has principal openings to fill at Dr. Julian Rogus and Arbury Hills schools.

The board of education for Summit Hill School District 161 could fill two remaining principal positions at its meeting Wednesday, July 11, according to the agenda. Currently, the district has open principal spots at Dr. Julian Rogus and Arbury Hills schools. Last month, the board approved the hiring of Pam Hodgson and Dana Wright as the new Summit Hill Junior High School principal and Hilda Walker Intermediate School assistant principal, respectively. READ: Board Fills Administrative Holes at Summit Hill, Hilda Walker Those hirings come on the heels of a principal switch in the district earlier this year caused by the closing of Mary Drew Elementary School. Here's the current principal assignments for the district's schools: Before its …

In this Article:

Mary Drew Elementary School, Dr. Julian Rogus School, Arbury Hills School, and 9 more ›

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Three Schools Earn State Award for Excellence

Chelsea Intermediate School in D157-C and Arbury Hills and Mary Drew elementary schools in D161 received the 2011 Illinois Honor Roll Academic Excellence Award.

  • SCHOOLS
  • Joe Vince
  • Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Three area schools earned the 2011 Illinois Honor Roll Academic Excellence Award from the State Superintendent of Education Christopher A. Koch. Chelsea Intermediate School in Frankfort School District 157-C and Arbury Hills and Mary Drew elementary schools in Summit Hill School District 161 received the honor for maintaining high academic performance for the past three years. To earn award, schools must meet the following criteria: This is the second consecutive year that Chelsea has earned the distinction, and the first time for Arbury Hills and Mary Drew. Dr. Julian Rogus School in D161 won the award last year, and Hickory Creek Middle School and Grand Prairie Elementary School of D157-C were honored in 2008 and 2004, respectively. The …

In this Article:

Chelsea Intermediate School, Grand Prairie Elementary School, Arbury Hills School, and 3 more ›

Thursday, January 12, 2012

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.

  • SCHOOLS
  • Joe Vince
  • Thursday, January 12, 2012

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 …

In this Article:

Mary Drew Elementary School, New Board Member Sworn in; Former Member Thanks D161 Community, D161 Budget-Tightening Could Include Closing a School, and 2 more ›

Comment_arrow

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 ›

Friday, December 2, 2011

D161 Budget-Tightening Could Include Closing a School

Arbury Hills School or Frankfort Square School could be shut down under a proposal to restructure the district. But that's just one idea officials are considering in order to cut costs.

As a way to cover about a $2 million budget shortfall, Summit Hill School District 161 officials are considering a variety of cost-cutting measures, including entertaining the idea of closing either Arbury Hills School or Frankfort Square School. But interim Superintendent Barb Rains said Thursday no decisions have been made, and any move to eliminate financial and educational inefficiencies in the district are only at the discussion level at this point. More research needs to be done before detailed proposals are created, and January would be the soonest that would happen, she added. The full board also would need to discuss and vote on the matter before any action is taken, Rains said. READ: Proposed Tax Levy for D161 Sees Slight …

In this Article:

Mary Drew Elementary School, Arbury Hills School, Frankfort Square School, and 1 more ›

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