Crystal Lake District 47 asks for input on middle school boundary adjustments

Crystal Lake-based District 47 is asking for parent and guardian input on potential middle school boundary changes.

The survey comes after the district initiated a comprehensive review of its school boundaries, starting with its three middles schools: Hannah Beardsley, Richard Bernotas and Lundahl.

A boundary committee of district staff, administration, board members, parents and community members will review survey data at a meeting Sept. 6. Recommended boundary changes will be presented to the school board.

“The tentative timeline for board approval is by the December board meeting,” said Kari Firak, District 47 communications and public engagement director. “The approved scenarios will be implemented for the 2025-2026 school year.”

Superintendent Kathy Hinz announced the boundary review process March 1.

“The goal of this review process is to ensure that we are effectively serving all students within our district and that each school is appropriately resourced to meet the needs of its students,” Hinz said in a March 1 email to parent and guardians.

The map in the survey is not a proposed set of school boundaries, but a tool for the boundary committee to gather and relate feedback to the region where participants live, Firak said. The survey asks participants to select the area closest to their residence.

The district will review current enrollment data, population trends that include new developments in the area and geographic considerations to determine if adjustments are needed, according to the district website.

District 47 will use the feedback to better understand the priorities of the community, according to district documents. Feedback will be shared, but identities will remain private.

Most recent shifts were implemented in the 2013-14 school year to adjust Canterbury Elementary boundaries, according to the district website. The second phase involving the district’s nine elementary schools will start after middle school boundary adjustments are finalized.

The survey closes at noon Aug. 22. Participants can email communications@d47.org for guidance or questions. The survey is available on the district’s website, d47.org/about-us/district-47-boundaries.