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Parents, educators urge Decatur SD 61 to restart Roadmap 2030 facility and enrollment planning
Summary
Public commenter and board members pressed the school board to resume the district's 10-year Roadmap 2030 strategic planning process, including a previously commissioned facilities assessment by Green Associates and enrollment projections by Business Information Services, LLC.
Dr. Caitlin Glause, a Decatur Public Schools parent and employee, urged the Board of Education to relaunch the district's long-range strategic planning work, known as Roadmap 2030, and to act on an architectural assessment and demographic study completed in 2022.
Glause told the board the 2022 enrollment projection by Business Information Services, LLC described Decatur as "quite frankly 1 of the most convoluted districts the analyst has ever studied," and she said that complexity makes it difficult to recommend building and grade-distribution solutions. "There is no solution though that I think is gonna make everyone happy. But we gotta make changes for the good of our students," Glause said.
The comment came during the public-participation portion of the June 10 meeting. Superintendent Clark and board members discussed restarting Roadmap 2030 work alongside other priorities for the newly seated board. Board members stated they want a timely presentation on Roadmap 2030 and to re-engage the community and administration in the process.
Why it matters: Roadmap 2030 addresses building health, enrollment patterns and grade-configuration decisions that shape which neighborhood schools remain open and where students attend. Glause and board members tied the plan to classroom learning conditions, noting that prolonged use of temporary housing and aging buildings hinders instruction.
Details and next steps: Glause noted the district previously contracted Green Associates to evaluate facilities and to recommend how to "best utilize current buildings through a cohesive district structure in support of grade level academic goals." Board members said the item will be brought back to the board for further discussion and that staff will provide a timeline and next steps.
The board did not take formal action to adopt a new Roadmap timeline at this meeting. Several board members reiterated that Roadmap 2030 was a priority to resume along with the superintendent search.
Board process context: At least one board member emphasized that formal policy changes or votes on the Roadmap should return as an agenda item rather than being decided in an open discussion. The board chair said staff will present a report at the next meeting detailing pros and cons and proposed next steps.
Community reaction: Glause told the board, "We still have kids in crumbling buildings and in temporary housing, and we still have neighborhoods that just don't have schools," and asked the board to provide a timeline so the community can "share the burden of making the district more cohesive and organized and manageable."
