District 21 Torn Over Language Programs

By Avian Carrasquillo Daily Herald Staff Writer

Wheeling Township School District 21 will review a plan to restructure its bilingual program and add a dual-language program.

Collectively, those programs are projected to inflate the budget by more than $1 million a year.

Since its first meeting in January, the school board has been hearing information on the restructuring plan from a committee of staff, teachers, principals and parents in the district that studied the plan currently in place.

Thursday evening, the school board heard an updated plan.

While the consensus of the school board is that the restructuring is needed, the price is a concern.

“I think we have no choice but to do it and I would like to see it done in all of the schools. I know the numbers are rough, but it’s the cost of doing business,” said school board member Kathy Edmonds.

While a proponent of the plan, school board member Arlen Gould is concerned with the sticker price.

“I’m for 99 percent of the plan. I think it’s a wonderful plan. If I had a checkbook and I could fund it, I would write a check tomorrow,” he said.

“But we also have responsibility to not spend more than we have in terms of income over the next six years. We need to find a way to start a portion of this program that we can do within our means,” Gould said.

“This is an extraordinary effort by a large group of people in our district. I would like to see the administration find a way to turn this recommendation into a developmental plan for the district that makes financial sense,” said school board member Phil Pritzker.

District 21 Superintendent Gary Mical said that while grants could be a solution to some of the financial burden, they were no guarantee.

The plans target the 2006- 07 school year for implementation.

Before a final decision is made, staff has been directed to review the impact the plans would have on the district’s future budgets.