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Grayslake CCSD 46 projects modest enrollment dip, recommends staffing adjustments; no RIF expected
Summary
District projected about 90 fewer students for 2025‑26, proposed closing four classroom sections mainly in K–4 but recommends several targeted staffing increases; administration said a reduction‑in‑force will not be required due to retirements and transfers.
Dr. Wolk presented the district’s preliminary enrollment projection and staffing plan for the 2025‑26 school year, citing counts pulled March 16 that project a district enrollment of about 3,451 students — roughly 90 fewer than current counts.
Using a cohort‑survival method, Wolk told the board the district typically remains within a 3,450–3,550 enrollment window; the projected decline is largely the result of one relatively large eighth‑grade cohort moving on from Grayslake Middle School. Based on current projections, the district expects to eliminate four classroom sections overall, primarily at K–4 buildings.
Because several staff retirements and other departures are already known to the district, administration recommended there will be no reduction‑in‑force (RIF) this year to cover the four lost sections. “We have enough retirements and people who have already let us know that they will not be coming back next year that we feel confident that we will have those 4 teachers in a spot,” Wolk said.
The presentation also recommended targeted increases to support students with specialized needs: an additional resource special‑education teacher at Woodview School (to bring it in line with other elementary schools), a 0.4 FTE increase for a social worker and a 0.5 FTE increase for a speech‑language pathologist to consolidate services for the district’s Lincoln Mile and related programs, an additional 0.5 social‑work FTE at early childhood, and one FTE increase for a certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA) to meet growing OT minutes.
Wolk described class‑size parameters driven by collective bargaining: a K–4 cap of 25 and a 5–8 cap of 30 students per class. Projected average class sizes for next year were presented as roughly 17–25 in K–4 and 24–28 in grades 5–8, varying by building and grade.
The board did not take an immediate vote on the staffing plan; administration said it would return with updates only if significant changes occur.
