Officials Give Nod To Hinsdale South Students' Concerns

Darien IL

19 October, 2021

7:04 PM

Description

DARIEN, IL – Earlier this academic year, a few students complained to the Hinsdale High School District 86 board about scheduling conflicts for classes they wanted to take. These concerns came from students at Hinsdale South, which is about half the size of Hinsdale Central. South families have long contended they have fewer course offerings than Central, which a watchdog's data backs up. Last week, board members agreed they would hold a discussion at a later meeting about a task force to look at ways to address scheduling conflicts and course offerings. However, one option not on the table is a boundary change between South and Central. Shifting the border, South residents say, would equalize enrollment and likely mean greater choice at South. But the board has expressed no desire to shift the boundary. Doing so would likely incur the wrath of Central residents who would end up in South's area. They figure their property values would plunge if they became part of the less wealthy South zone. During last week's board meeting, member Debbie Levinthal proposed the board discuss the task force, which would include board members and educators. "We have all these wonderful courses to offer," Levinthal said. "One of the things the task force could do is make sure those courses are available." Among the ideas she said could be considered are remote learning with a rotation of in-person teachers and staggered start times for the two schools. The other board members agreed to consider a task force. They said the matter would be put on a later meeting agenda. Earlier this year, Alan Hruby, a Burr Ridge resident who has served as a watchdog over the district's inequities, found Central would offer 251 different courses this school year, 81 more than South. District officials originally said Central would offer 15 courses this year that would be unavailable at South. But after Hruby pressed the district, it admitted the error and said Central would, in fact, offer 90 more unique courses than South. Six of the seven board members live in the Central zone. Only member Cynthia Hanson lives in the South area.