Belvidere board schedules public hearings after poll shows majority support for closing Perry Elementary
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Summary
A district-commissioned random-sample poll found 56% of respondents support closing Perry Elementary; trustees directed administration to schedule three public hearings and publish FAQs while exploring renovation, capacity and student-placement plans.
A community poll presented to the Belvidere CUSD 100 Board of Education on March 16 found 56% of respondents support closing Perry Elementary, prompting trustees to direct the administration to schedule three public hearings and prepare more detailed information for families and staff.
Peter Leatherman of the Morris Leatherman Company described the survey methodology as a 400-person random telephone sample (±5% margin of error at 95% confidence) and said it included cell phones and landlines. He said facilities and comparable school spaces were unusually prominent concerns for respondents, and that 77% support constructing an early‑learning center if it would not raise property taxes.
Dr. Schuck and district staff told the board that phase‑1 work at Perry was estimated at about $6.8 million and that full remediation across phases could reach roughly $14 million. Trustees discussed tiers of improvements (from a roof-only repair to a fuller renovation that would trigger ADA upgrades) and heard that certain secure-entry options require structural changes that can increase cost and scope. District and consultant presentations noted an ADA trigger that generally requires broader accessibility upgrades if a renovation affects 50% of a building’s value or square footage.
Public commenters at the meeting included Perry staff, families and neighborhood residents who urged transparency and asked how the district would support displaced students and staff if Perry closed. Teacher and parent speakers asked whether cohort placements, counseling and extra staffing would be provided and urged the board to publish specific transition plans; the administration said it would include those details in an FAQ and could reserve cohorts together where space and staffing allow.
Board members expressed competing concerns: some pointed to the district-wide survey results and high deferred‑maintenance costs per student at Perry; others emphasized the building’s role in the neighborhood and the need for clear plans before making a decision. Rather than vote to close or to invest immediately, the board directed the superintendent to proceed with three public hearings, to release a written FAQ and to provide supplementary analyses (detailed deferred‑maintenance lists, cost-per-student scenarios, capacity studies and options for secure-entrance alternatives) before any final vote.
The hearings will include public comment and a subsequent special board meeting would be required should trustees choose to post and vote on a resolution to close the school. The board did not take a final vote on closure on March 16.
