Somonauk, Leland school districts eye consolidation

If all goes to plan, the Somonauk Leland Community Unit School District will start classes in August 2023.

A referendum must pass in both Somonauk and Leland school districts, however, for it to come to fruition, officials told a crowd of more than 100 that gathered Thursday for a town hall meeting at Somonauk High School gymnasium.

The referendum is scheduled June 28.

Somonauk and Leland board members say they hope to get a jump start on consolidation, before the state enacts a law that can potentially force one. A motivating factor is remedying a teacher shortage, said Somonauk Board President Mike Short. A consolidated district would be able to offer more courses and extracurricular programs.

No school buildings would be demolished and no staff would be cut. Staff reductions would be made through attrition, meaning when teachers retire or leave for new positions, that’s when decisions would be made on whether to fill those vacancies, Short said.

The state of Illinois would provide $1.1 million for the consolidation. These funds would go toward aligning existing contracts with staff, transportation costs and other immediate costs of the consolidation.

Savings would eventually be realized through needing just one superintendent, one athletics director, one audit, being able to purchase services as one entity and adjusting staffing through attrition.

Property taxpayers would see a slight decrease in the rate, Short said.

The committee charged with planning the consolidation foresees using each of the school’s buildings, meaning students may require about a 10-minute bus ride between the communities. Students would be taken to their local schools, then transported between schools.

The committee is seeking community input on how to best utilize each school, proposing both plans that put students together based on their grade levels and/or based on their hometown.

The committee’s goals include keeping Leland’s school open and setting up a daycare location in both communities.

The new consolidated high school may potentially move up a class of competition in volleyball, boys and girls basketball and baseball.

If the consolidation were to pass both districts, a new school board will be elected in the November 2022 general election. The top seven vote getters regardless of residence will be seated on the new board.

A meeting is scheduled 9 a.m. Monday, Jan. 10, with the Regional Office of Education at the La Salle County Governmental Complex, 707 E. Etna Road, Ottawa. Formal plans will be presented for the regional office’s approval.

More public meetings and hearings are expected in the spring as the committee works out details of how the consolidation would play out.