Can someone tell me why enrollment is projected to decrease? Are there less kids born during that time? I feel like everyone I know is moving out here so their kids can go to these school districts.

Most studies show that the optimal size for a high school is 750 students. There's absolutely nothing wrong for the students at Andrew attending a school with 1800 students. In fact that number may be better fotr the Andrew students than 2200! The faculty and administration at Andrew are the ones precipitating this boundary change. They want to keep their empire, and overstaffing, intact!

Demographics, my friend. From a period 25 years ago to about 10 years ago, people starting families and those who'd prospered and earned "something better" were moving to Orland. Then, about 10 years ago, less expensive land, less corrupt governments and lower taxes led those types of people to "leapfrog" Orland and Palos and go to Homer township. Plainfield, Frankfort, Aurora, Naperville, Oswego and even farther out suburbs. That's where those who could afford to move were going.

With the real estate bubble bursting, and unqualified borrowers no longer able to get mortgages, people had to look for more value in their home purchases, and most people chose not to move into Orland or Palos.

In the meantime, more and more of those "empty nesters" who no longer had mortgages were staying in their homes and not vacating them for young families.

It's a cycle we've seen from Burbank, Oak Lawn, and most inner suburbs.

Eventually, new families forming buy homes from those to old to maintain them, while graduating students trail new students coming in.

Poorly run districts often keep spending and taxes high despite dropping enrollments and feed on the tax revenues like carrion on a fallen wildebeast.

Better run districts "right size" for this drop and protect children and taxpayers from gouging by staff and administration.

It appears that 230 is taking the former approach

Why don't we thing about the student’s educational needs first, instead of property values, long bus rides and social issues. District 230’s board’s decision should be based on the student’s ability to receive a quality education regardless which school they attend. Andrew students should not have to suffer with limited choices.

District 140 families pay the same taxes as D135, D118, D117 and D146 - those families should be afforded the same educational opportunities at Andrew than students at Stagg and Sandburg should have. Optimum school size, Rocklobster, becomes irrelevant when taxpayers in the same district have less opportunity to programs than their counterparts - that is called inequity.

Has anyone inquired why 230 doesn't offer "B" team opportunities? It seems as though the community should be coming together to provide students with as many safe and productive outlets to interact with one another as possible.

Dear Rock Bobster

Sorry about your daughter I had a similar situation .
regarding one of my kids at Sandburg.
in my case i would not take no for an answer.
At that time i taught at Simeon another very
successful small school.
But let us all try and stick to the issue
of District 230 option zones.

I have a unique perspective on this subject. I was a "victim" of school busing in the 70s. They framed the argument differently them, but the effect was the same. I was told I could not go the school near my house, rather I had to ride a bus to a distant school. This effected my ability to make fiends, participate in school activities and get my homework done. Have you ever tried to do homework on a moving school bus? My commute was 1 hour each way. That's two hours a day! If I rode the activity bus it was even longer because it had several routes to cover. Many of us commute for our jobs. We do that to live in this neighborhood. Do we really want to put our kids through this as well?

My daughter will not be effected and it would be easy for me to ignore this issue. Property values though effect all of us.

If this passes I will make it my mission to see every school board member who votes yes and the superintendent ousted!!

I live on the south end of Orland, and although we do live a bit closer to Andrew, I prefer my children go to Sandburg. They have attended the Orland schools since Kindergarten and for the most part have been in class with the same kids throughout these past 9 years. Alside from all the other reasons, High school is a big transition and I believe it is easier and less scary when you can be around the familar faces of the people you know. I agree with those of you who live close to Sandburg, if you live within walking distance then you should still have the option of attending Sandburg, however, for those who live further and already attend a Palos or Tinley school, why not let your kids go to school with their classmates. Don't the majority of the kids who graduate for either Palos or Tinley Central go to Stagg or Andrew anyway?

Why is 171st street the not the northern boundary for Andrew High School? Those kids should not travel that far to Sandburg. That alone makes me believe D135 gets preferential treatment. Where does the board members reside? Does this effect their children or property values? I also think the option zone is unfair. Give all of D230 the
option or no one.

Having had three children go through district 230, I'll tell you now....it is a done deal!

Not sure what "that makes me believe D135 gets preferential treatment" means?? Because the kids travel further to get to Sandburg then to Andrew, that's preferential treatment? We moved to Orland Park with the intention of sending our children to the D135 schools as well as to Sandburg, if we wanted our children to attend either of the other schools then we would have bought our home elsewhere. It certainly makes sense that Orland School District 135 students would attend a school within the same town they reside in.

The logistics of this matter should require all children living SOUTH of 159th Street, whether it be in Orland or Tinley, attend Andrew. For some idiotic reason years ago, Orland Park felt Sandburg belongs strictly to them.

Some 25+ years ago, children living in the subdivisions, north of 159th street and south of 153rd street, all in Orland Park, attended Andrew High School. But as I stated before Orland Park felt that only children living in Orland could attend Sandburg and that school belongs to them. It should be noted that 2 districts merged to create Sandburg HS, Orland and PALOS, and not just Orland Park.

Having gone to that meeting on Tuesday I get the feeling the decision has been made. The fact that Sandburg sits inside of the Stagg zone does not matter to people only looking at numbers. That's like having the Illinois capital in Iowa. We need a new leadership.

Attn CATALINA and GOLFVIEW Residents....If they take SANDBURG From us, all we will have left of "Orland" is our POOL PASS and our LIBRARY CARD! We pay for a ZIP CODE that wants NOTHING to DO With US! Why is this??? WE are BEGGING the MAYOR and the BOARD to include us in our own Community. How is that EVEN up for Debate???

Can someone please explain the urgency to this decision? Is it budgeting--staffing, is it money for bussing, is it board members trying to preserve the AP programs? AND how can the administration and board predetermine which programs are going to be cut when they do not know accurate numbers? why would you take away ANY class without knowing that students will or won't be taking it? How can they decide to get rid of Band at Andrew if there will be enough students enrolled to keep it? I thought this is about enrollment numbers, not just slashing classes to punish those who are stuck having to stay at Andrew, which by the way, is a GREAT school! Well organized, good administration and solid staff.
I know the district wants to keep kids from one elementary district all-together, however, eventually they will be separated. (In preparing students for college, they aren't all going together to the same college.) But on the flip side, I feel it's silly and not fiscally responsible to move students who are a stone's throw from a school to a bus ride away- that's a waste of bus fuel.