U-46 details program placements and residency-exception decisions tied to new attendance boundaries

School District U-46 on May 19 told the Board of Education how specialized programs will be distributed across the district to match new attendance boundaries and confirmed outcomes of a residency-exception review for families requesting early transfers.

Lola Mysdorovich, deputy superintendent of instruction, told the board that program placements for the 2026–27 school year were decided with three priorities: addressing student needs, supporting smooth transitions, and reducing transportation time. Placements align with new attendance boundaries and the district’s planned shift of sixth graders into middle schools.

Mysdorovich described how networks will host different mixes of programs to maintain program continuity and geographic access. Examples given: Centennial Elementary will host two ILP classrooms and two preschool classrooms (the preschools likely to open after 2026–27), while students living in Centennial who need dual-language instruction would attend designated satellite sites such as Heritage Elementary, Ridge Circle or Horizon depending on the program. The Elgin network, officials said, will host dual-language programming broadly, and TimberTrails will shift from hosting dual language to ESL services after the boundary change. The Larkin network will have dual-language programming across most sites; Hill Crest Elementary was noted as not having space for self-contained special education or preschool classrooms.

Mysdorovich said placements considered projected student counts and available space; for example, primary and intermediate MLP (multi-level programming) classrooms were planned with maximums of 13 students per class when used to model placement needs.

Brian Lindholm, chief of staff, and Mysdorovich also summarized the residency-exception process. Families could request a residency exception to attend their projected new school a year early; requests were due May 15 and reviewed on May 16. Officials said 75 of 117 requests were approved and families would receive notifications this week. Decisions were made based on whether a school had space under current staffing; submissions were time-stamped, and when only a single seat remained in a grade, first-come, first-served timing determined approval.

Board members asked about whether placing new specialized classrooms would mean some schools would host students with disabilities for the first time; Mysdorovich acknowledged that in some cases it would, and staff training and supports would be provided. Members also requested a matrix that shows, for each school, what programs it currently hosts and what would be new or removed under the 2026–27 placements; administrators agreed to produce that information.

No formal vote was taken during the presentation; the placements and residency-exception results were presented as administrative updates.