District 709 residents agree that conditions need to improve at the district's elementary schools.
But they're not real excited about the two construction/renovation options favored by a community committee. Each option includes the closing of Jefferson Elementary School, the oldest school in the district.
And there's no guarantee that a proposed $16 million referendum would pass.
Those are some of the major conclusions drawn from a survey that is part of a process that will end with a districtwide construction/renovation plan developed by the School Board.
Survey results from groups of 346 randomly selected frequent voters and 457 respondents from across the community were released and analyzed Tuesday night at a School Board meeting. Respondents had to answer all 19 questions to have their survey count.
The community committee attended the meeting. Craig Barley, who chaired the survey subcommittee, gave a report on the results. In general, he said, the results of the two groups of respondents mirror each other.
"There are high levels of support from both groups for improving/replacing basic systems, and providing adequate instructional space and space for daily physical education at our elementary schools," Barley said. "Consider that a mandate to move forward on these improvements."
But just 43 percent of frequent voters and 36 percent of community respondents favor a construction/renovation option that closes Jefferson, renovates the other three elementary schools, and scatters Jefferson students to those schools.
Only 25 percent of frequent voters and 29 percent of community respondents favor a more long-range option that renovates the elementary schools and sends all Jefferson students to the current Morton High School.
Morton Junior High School students also would move to the high school, and a new high school would be built. The junior high would close.
Some 45 and 49 percent of respondents, respectively, said prior to taking the survey that they favored the $16 million referendum. The numbers bumped up slightly to 54 and 51 percent, respectively, after respondents heard the arguments of why the referendum is needed.
Barley said survey results indicate residents favor building a new high school, "but it's clearly not a priority at the time. And the survey doesn't provide a clear direction about what to do about Jefferson."
Jefferson parents who oppose the closing of the school have launched a Facebook page and have written letters to the editor to newspapers, but none spoke at Tuesday's meeting.
