Boundary OK only first step: Daily Herald 02/21/08

[joe6pack]

www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=139133&src=2

Indian Prairie officials cleared the first of three major hurdles this week by approving new high school attendance boundaries.

Now that most Unit District 204 families know where their children will be attending classes in coming years, school board President Mark Metzger said leaders will turn their attention to the site along Eola Road south of Diehl Road that eventually will be home to Metea Valley High School.

"Our next step is to finalize all of the environmental impact studies, which are under way now," Metzger said Wednesday.

The 87-acre parcel is owned by St. John AME Church and Midwest Generation, an independent power producer.

"If any remediation is necessary, we'll wait for the (Illinois Environmental Protection Agency) to approve any course of action before we close the sale and commence construction of Metea Valley," Metzger said.

The second phase of the environmental impact study is not complete but already has found five of 66 collected soil boring samples are contaminated with "very limited" amounts of diesel fuel, officials said.


Despite the findings, Metzger said he believes the contaminated borings are limited to a small area and he remains positive about the overall site.

After the studies are complete in March or April, Metzger said he expects the district will be ready to hire a principal for Metea.

Officials also will have to name a new principal for Neuqua Valley in the wake of Michael Popp's promotion from that post to a position in the central administration.

"We hope to have whoever those people are hired in the early spring so they can begin meeting with the first wave of students and go about setting the tone," Metzger said. "We plan to have that done early because it's anticipated that slightly more than a year's worth of work is necessary to begin allocating staff and putting together the operational plan."

With the new boundaries approved Tuesday, district officials aim to open Metea in August 2009 to freshmen and sophomores and then add a new class in each of the next two years. Some amenities may not be in place when the school first opens its doors.

Metea eventually will hold about 3,000 students.

Officials said the school is needed to ease overcrowding at Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley high schools in the district that serves portions of Naperville, Aurora, Plainfield and Bolingbrook.

[lacy]

Haven't they already "set the tone"?

[worldpeace]

WV does not get eased of overcrowding for at least 3 more years. Great decision, benefiting the board and a select few others.

[sleeplessinnpvl]

This would be unfortunate if WV is overcrowded. Did someone crunch the numbers? I do see 6 whole ES's and 2 half ES's leaving from the north/central. I see 2 1/2 ES's coming in from the south. I know it is only Fresh and Sophs leaving but is the number of kids leaving WV less than the number who are entering, taking into account the gold campus will not be there?
I wonder if they could grandfather some kids in from the south who wouldn't have to leave Neuqua for a year or two until crowding is better there.

[wvhsparent]

worldpeace said:

WV does not get eased of overcrowding for at least 3 more years. Great decision, benefiting the board and a select few others.

The Situation at both WVHS and NVHS was going to happen regardless of site.
It happened before when NVHS 1st opened too....It's just part of the process.

[sleeplessinnpvl]

wvhsparent said:

worldpeace said:

WV does not get eased of overcrowding for at least 3 more years. Great decision, benefiting the board and a select few others.

The Situation at both WVHS and NVHS was going to happen regardless of site.
It happened before when NVHS 1st opened too....It's just part of the process.

True, I remember people talking about how they didn't want Neuqua and how crowded WV was going to be even with Neuqua open. It all boils down to the fact that we would have been better off than we are now had this thing flown in 2005. Hindsight is 20/20.

[researching]

sleeplessinnpvl said:

wvhsparent said:

The Situation at both WVHS and NVHS was going to happen regardless of site.
It happened before when NVHS 1st opened too....It's just part of the process.

True, I remember people talking about how they didn't want Neuqua and how crowded WV was going to be even with Neuqua open. It all boils down to the fact that we would have been better off than we are now had this thing flown in 2005. Hindsight is 20/20.

I did not recall hearing about the fact that WV was going to be overcrowded during the transition. I have been watching this board since the topher days and that fact escaped me.

Every single piece of "new" information just seems to make the situation worse and worse.

Let me see if I have my facts straight...

If all goes according to plan, in 2009 WV will be further bursting at the seems so my child gets to attend the most overcrowded MS for all 3 years, a somewhat crowded NV Gold campus, an then gets to finish the next 3 years out at an extremely overcrowded WV. It just part of the process. Oh, and by the way, we get to triple your commute too. Oh, and pay no attention to the incredibly rude admin. and SB whenever you try to address them. Don't worry about being laughed at or yelled at by these supposed "professionals". Oh, and the admin. can make up what ever unverified "study" they want in an attempt to further isolate your community and it is going to go unacknowledged and those who made up the lies go unpunished. Oh, and you get to constantantly be called "babies" whenever you complain about it. Oh, and as long as your kids don't eat the dirt, MV is safe, as safe as BP Amoco thought their site was too. Come on, time to get over it, right?

[wvhsparent]

sleeplessinnpvl said:

wvhsparent said:

The Situation at both WVHS and NVHS was going to happen regardless of site.
It happened before when NVHS 1st opened too....It's just part of the process.

True, I remember people talking about how they didn't want Neuqua and how crowded WV was going to be even with Neuqua open. It all boils down to the fact that we would have been better off than we are now had this thing flown in 2005. Hindsight is 20/20.

EXACTLY!!!!
And the blame for that falls squarely on the SB/Admin in place at that time.

[worldpeace]

Sleepless is on the right track. My daughter will be traveling with the trailers at Scullen to meet them again at WV. She supposedly is leaving NV to ease overcrowding there, but going into a more crowded scenarios at WV. This was not the case with BB and her attending MV. As far as I know no one has updated the numbers to even include the latest slowdown in development. I also know for a fact that the business case supporting the referendum and HS#3 was based on property values increasing over the next 10 years. Maybe the SB isnt reading the papers from the area, or country for that matter. Someone has to stop this madness.

[wvhsparent]

worldpeace said:

Sleepless is on the right track. My daughter will be traveling with the trailers at Scullen to meet them again at WV. She supposedly is leaving NV to ease overcrowding there, but going into a more crowded scenarios at WV. This was not the case with BB and her attending MV. As far as I know no one has updated the numbers to even include the latest slowdown in development. I also know for a fact that the business case supporting the referendum and HS#3 was based on property values increasing over the next 10 years. Maybe the SB isnt reading the papers from the area, or country for that matter. Someone has to stop this madness.

You are correct...it would not have been the case for YOU, but it would have been the case for someone else if built at BB.
I am sorry it's you.......but it was going to be someone regardless.

[momto4]

researching said:

I did not recall hearing about the fact that WV was going to be overcrowded during the transition. I have been watching this board since the topher days and that fact escaped me.

Every single piece of "new" information just seems to make the situation worse and worse.

Was your child not scheduled to attend WV under the previous boundary plan? Maybe this is why you missed it. I just looked at my e-mail now and I have an e-mail exchange with Curt dated 2/17/06 regarding the probability of extreme overcrowding in WV in the first year and what could be done about it.

This is not new at all. If it is news to anyone it is likely because they weren't going to be affected by it and now they will be.

[lacy]

wvhsparent said:

worldpeace said:

Sleepless is on the right track. My daughter will be traveling with the trailers at Scullen to meet them again at WV. She supposedly is leaving NV to ease overcrowding there, but going into a more crowded scenarios at WV. This was not the case with BB and her attending MV. As far as I know no one has updated the numbers to even include the latest slowdown in development. I also know for a fact that the business case supporting the referendum and HS#3 was based on property values increasing over the next 10 years. Maybe the SB isnt reading the papers from the area, or country for that matter. Someone has to stop this madness.

You are correct...it would not have been the case for YOU, but it would have been the case for someone else if built at BB.
I am sorry it's you.......but it was going to be someone regardless.

That's always the mantra, "we're sorry it's you, but get over it."

Oddly enough, I'm not feeling any better.

[lacy]

momto4 said:

researching said:

I did not recall hearing about the fact that WV was going to be overcrowded during the transition. I have been watching this board since the topher days and that fact escaped me.

Every single piece of "new" information just seems to make the situation worse and worse.

Was your child not scheduled to attend WV under the previous boundary plan? Maybe this is why you missed it. I just looked at my e-mail now and I have an e-mail exchange with Curt dated 2/17/06 regarding the probability of extreme overcrowding in WV in the first year and what could be done about it.

This is not new at all. If it is news to anyone it is likely because they weren't going to be affected by it and now they will be.

That's just it - the entire situation has changed since the referendum vote.

We are not getting what we voted for. If people want to call this "entitlement" knock yourselves out.

[concerned]

wvhsparent said:

worldpeace said:

Sleepless is on the right track. My daughter will be traveling with the trailers at Scullen to meet them again at WV. She supposedly is leaving NV to ease overcrowding there, but going into a more crowded scenarios at WV. This was not the case with BB and her attending MV. As far as I know no one has updated the numbers to even include the latest slowdown in development. I also know for a fact that the business case supporting the referendum and HS#3 was based on property values increasing over the next 10 years. Maybe the SB isnt reading the papers from the area, or country for that matter. Someone has to stop this madness.

You are correct...it would not have been the case for YOU, but it would have been the case for someone else if built at BB.
I am sorry it's you.......but it was going to be someone regardless.

No matter who it happens to it is WRONG.

[wvhsparent]

lacy said:

wvhsparent said:

You are correct...it would not have been the case for YOU, but it would have been the case for someone else if built at BB.
I am sorry it's you.......but it was going to be someone regardless.

That's always the mantra, "we're sorry it's you, but get over it."

Oddly enough, I'm not feeling any better.

Not expecting you to feel any better but like momto4 just stated. You did not worry about it before, because it did not affect your kids....It would have affected mine, and we were prepared to accomodate, knowing it was for a short time.
Things changed now you have to pick up the accomodation and run with it. Does it suck, you bet! But as you stated...get over it!