District 205 Looks to the Elmhurst Community to Help Chart the Future

Elmhurst Unit District 205 Superintendent David Pruneau on Tuesday presented the School Board a draft plan for how a Citizens Advisory Committee will operate.

The purpose of the committee is two-fold: to review current district operations and limitations, then to examine six topics and flesh out ideas for improvement.

The committee will be charged with examining:

• District goals and direction
• Curriculum and instruction
• Facilities and operations
• Human resources
• Revenue and expenditures
• Local, state and national trends in education

"It's really a vetting of our whole district, asking for input so the board can be apprised about how the community feels about the direction we're going," Pruneau said.

Part of the drive to create the committee is based on district finances. The current financial model is "not sustainable as it stands now," Pruneau said last month. The district also is facing a decision on whether to

Committee members will include business leaders, parents, representatives from each school and others.

A leader from Elmhurst College, for example, could have input on what colleges might expect from students graduating from York, or a business leader could give input on what job skills should be emphasized in high school, board member Maria Hirsch said.

A fairly significant commitment is required for committee members, Pruneau said.

"We're proposing an aggressive agenda," he said. Committee members will meet every other week for several months, and this will culminate in a comprehensive report to the School Board in January.

Currently, there is no limit on the number of committee members.

"I don't think you're going to get thousands lined up; it won't be a problem to add people," Pruneau said. "We may have to do some recruitment, especially if they don't have children in the school district."

Information gleaned out of the committee will be distilled by the board, which will then recommend a course of action for the administration.

"If it's budget cuts, that will form what direction we go," Pruneau said to the board. "If it's restructuring the schools, you'll direct the administration to start looking at implementation."

Unlike the Elmhurst Educational Program Review Technique launched in 2010, which had a similar make up and was charged with determining where cuts should be made in 2011, this new committee will meet as one large group. EEPRT broke out into many committees, which some say caused confusion and disorganization.

As one committee, members will all learn about the district together, and that's the first step, Pruneau said.

"If you don't start out with a good understanding of the whole district and our limitation, that can frustrate committee members," he said. "With state law and mandates, some ideas won't work. They need to have a good understanding first. Then, you have to bring the whole group together to come to consensus on what those recommendations are."

The process may reveal more is needed down the road, Pruneau said.

"You may have a recommendation to form other committees to look at issues that may need more attention than this committee will have time to do," he said.

Invitations will be sent out to key community and business leaders, and seats also will be offered to the community at large.