Consolidation Meeting at Rondout Summary

Rondout School District 72 and its Board of Education hosted a Community Forum on School Consolidation March 22.  Presenting and answering public questions at the forum were:

Ed Sullivan ( House representative - 51st District )
Jenny Wojcik ( Superintendent )
Keith Gray ( Board President )
Erika Lindley ( Executive Director ED RED )
Carole Sente's AM Assistant

A number of Oak Grove community residents and stakeholders were in attendance and actively participated in the question and answer session.

One of the questions asked of Carole Sente's representative was if she could confirm that Carole Sente will vote against HB 1216 if a voter referendum is not attached to the bill.  Carole Sente's representative confirmed that Carole Sente made this representation during the Forum held at Vernon Hills High School. However, currently there is no amendment pending to attach a voter referendum to HB 1216 and Ms. Sente will now vote in favor of HB 1216 having been unsuccessful in her attempt to convince Representative Chapa LaVia, author/sponsor of HB 1216, to amend the bill.

Representative Sullivan indicated he will vote yes to HB 1216. He indicated he is in favor of some forms of School District Consolidation but would oppose forced consolidation of schools like Rondout and Oak Grove if the studies authorized by HB 1216 recommend the consolidation of these schools. He advised and cautioned vigilance in the monitoring, lobbying, opposition and preemptive actions districts should take to protect against consequences and unintended consequences of legislation like HB 1216.

Please draw your own conclusions about the implications of the foregoing 2 paragraphs.

I took the opportunity to meet and speak with Ed Sullivan, our elected representative, privately before the Forum. I also took the opportunity to meet and speak with Jenny Wojcik and Keith Gray after the Forum.

I hope to be able to share the additional information I learned from these discussions and at the Forum with the Oak Grove Community Task Force on School District Consolidation on April 4 at 7:00 p.m. in the Junior High Library.

Carl Ioos
Oak Grove School Parent