Post by refbasics on Jan 20, 2010 13:16:06 GMT -6
Third high school is right solution for handling Oswego district growth 
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/lifestyles/1999690,2_5_AU20_D308COL_S1-100120.article#
January 20, 2010
The Oswego School District 308 Board of Education recently agreed to open a third high school for the 2014-15 school year to house our steadily growing student population. Some people have questioned how the Board of Education could possibly afford to open a third high school in this economic environment. Considering the growth in student numbers and the cost of other alternatives, the real question appears to be: How can the Board of Education afford not to build a third high school?
The district has the funding to build a third high school. Funding for the third high school will come from the 2006 $450 million voter-approved building referendum. This money cannot be used to help address the district's current budget deficit. Funding designated by voters for building can't be used to supplant shortfalls in operating funds.
Additional operating expense will be required when the building opens with grades 9-11 in 2014, but not as much as might be expected. For the students already in the district it will be more a matter of transferring faculty and staff to the new building along with the students. Approximately $2 million of additional operating costs (utilities and maintenance) and personnel (administration and custodial) will be required at that time to open the building.
However, the main reason the district must build a third high school is the continuing enrollment growth. Both District 308 high schools -- Oswego and Oswego East -- have already reached their "watch" capacity. ("Watch" signifies that the buildings have reached or surpassed 85 percent of their capacity as determined by a formula established by the district's Growth, Facilities and Enrollment School Board Advisory Committee in 2008). Oswego East High School (capacity of 2,400) has grown rapidly with an enrollment this year of 2,180. Oswego High School (capacity of 2,350) is also close to capacity with 1,980 students this year. Boundary changes are expected to bring an additional 300 students to Oswego High over the next two years.
Growth continues in District 308 even with the economic slowdown that began in 2007. Total enrollment for the two high schools has grown from 3,371 in 2006-07 to more than 4,100 in 2009-10 with larger classes expected in the near future. For example, District 308 enrolled 868 seniors this year, 1,141 freshmen and 1,436 kindergartners; and the high number of students at the lower grades will continue to advance into the high schools. The district also continues to experience new-student growth within all grade levels at an average rate of 3.5 percent per grade level per year.
The Board of Education considered several options before deciding on a third high school. They researched using existing buildings as freshman centers or magnet schools, but since all the district buildings will be needed to house the growing student population, a magnet/freshman center is only a short-term solution that would work for just two years.
The board also considered maxing out the current buildings by bringing in trailers to house additional students, but again this is only a very short-term fix.
The board considered building on to the current buildings to increase the capacity of each to 3,000 students. This would hold student growth for about five years, but with steady growth occurring during this time, the board felt that the need for a third high school was inevitable and was unwilling to invest tens of millions of dollars to expand the existing two high schools to gain only a couple of years of relief before having to build the third high school anyway. They determined that the money would be better spent investing in the third high school, which would spread out the current enrollment and allow for growth for all grade levels throughout the district for the next eight to 10 years. Other options such as year-round school and split shifts were considered and discarded for academic, economic or logistical reasons.
Dr. Dan O'Donnell is the superintendent of schools in Oswego District 308.
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party likes it's 2006! i guess oswego doesn't have very astute parents and residents, either!
i wonder who did their student population forecasts!?
www.suburbanchicagonews.com/beaconnews/lifestyles/1999690,2_5_AU20_D308COL_S1-100120.article#
January 20, 2010
The Oswego School District 308 Board of Education recently agreed to open a third high school for the 2014-15 school year to house our steadily growing student population. Some people have questioned how the Board of Education could possibly afford to open a third high school in this economic environment. Considering the growth in student numbers and the cost of other alternatives, the real question appears to be: How can the Board of Education afford not to build a third high school?
The district has the funding to build a third high school. Funding for the third high school will come from the 2006 $450 million voter-approved building referendum. This money cannot be used to help address the district's current budget deficit. Funding designated by voters for building can't be used to supplant shortfalls in operating funds.
Additional operating expense will be required when the building opens with grades 9-11 in 2014, but not as much as might be expected. For the students already in the district it will be more a matter of transferring faculty and staff to the new building along with the students. Approximately $2 million of additional operating costs (utilities and maintenance) and personnel (administration and custodial) will be required at that time to open the building.
However, the main reason the district must build a third high school is the continuing enrollment growth. Both District 308 high schools -- Oswego and Oswego East -- have already reached their "watch" capacity. ("Watch" signifies that the buildings have reached or surpassed 85 percent of their capacity as determined by a formula established by the district's Growth, Facilities and Enrollment School Board Advisory Committee in 2008). Oswego East High School (capacity of 2,400) has grown rapidly with an enrollment this year of 2,180. Oswego High School (capacity of 2,350) is also close to capacity with 1,980 students this year. Boundary changes are expected to bring an additional 300 students to Oswego High over the next two years.
Growth continues in District 308 even with the economic slowdown that began in 2007. Total enrollment for the two high schools has grown from 3,371 in 2006-07 to more than 4,100 in 2009-10 with larger classes expected in the near future. For example, District 308 enrolled 868 seniors this year, 1,141 freshmen and 1,436 kindergartners; and the high number of students at the lower grades will continue to advance into the high schools. The district also continues to experience new-student growth within all grade levels at an average rate of 3.5 percent per grade level per year.
The Board of Education considered several options before deciding on a third high school. They researched using existing buildings as freshman centers or magnet schools, but since all the district buildings will be needed to house the growing student population, a magnet/freshman center is only a short-term solution that would work for just two years.
The board also considered maxing out the current buildings by bringing in trailers to house additional students, but again this is only a very short-term fix.
The board considered building on to the current buildings to increase the capacity of each to 3,000 students. This would hold student growth for about five years, but with steady growth occurring during this time, the board felt that the need for a third high school was inevitable and was unwilling to invest tens of millions of dollars to expand the existing two high schools to gain only a couple of years of relief before having to build the third high school anyway. They determined that the money would be better spent investing in the third high school, which would spread out the current enrollment and allow for growth for all grade levels throughout the district for the next eight to 10 years. Other options such as year-round school and split shifts were considered and discarded for academic, economic or logistical reasons.
Dr. Dan O'Donnell is the superintendent of schools in Oswego District 308.
---------------------
party likes it's 2006! i guess oswego doesn't have very astute parents and residents, either!
i wonder who did their student population forecasts!?
