By Kelly Youngblood
The first day of school will look very different for many Urbana elementary students and their families this fall as the district will create new attendance zones for elementary schools to address enrollment needs.
Katherine Tellez, director of communications and marketing for USD #116, said the district has been discussing the need for redistricting for many years.
“It has been more than 10 years since the last time the district has gone through this process. In October 2023, the board approved an agreement with the redistricting consultant, RSP & Associates, with the goal of improving the enrollment capacities at all of our elementary schools, which will help us maintain equitable and reasonable class sizes,” Tellez said.
RSP will present its final plan on April 2, which includes relocating the Dual Language program to either Yankee Ridge or Thomas Paine. The board is expected to vote on the new elementary boundaries on April 16.
On Jan. 9 the Board of Education approved unifying the District’s K-5 Spanish strand model into a whole-school model.
Tellez said the whole-school model for Dual Language has many benefits for teachers, students and parents, such as professional development opportunities conducted completely in Spanish.
Tellez said the model would also positively impact teacher recruitment and retention and allow for better collaboration between staff, since the program will not be split between buildings.
As of January 2024, the K-5 Spanish Dual Language Program, currently located at both Leal and Dr. Preston Williams Jr. Elementary, has 440 students. The K-5 French Dual Language Program, located at Yankee Ridge, has 59 students.
Irene Macedo Hernandez, who has a third-grade student in the Spanish Dual Language Program at Dr. Preston Williams Jr. Elementary, has many concerns about the district’s plan.
“The shortage of teachers — is that going to affect how many students will be per class? Are the students going to easily deal with the transition? Is there going to be available support for the students in case some of them can’t deal with the transition? Bus routes — are they going to change? Will students be nervous about going on different routes?” she asked.
Carrie May-Borich, a parent of a fourth-grade student at Thomas Paine and the school’s PTA president, said she can empathize with all families in the district because the idea of her son starting a new school in the fall “feels horrible.”
“My son will have only one year left and no one wants to lose their home school,” she said.
May-Borich said students and staff were still adjusting to recent renovations at Thomas Paine when the possibility of relocating schools came up.
“Thomas Paine just went through a renovation, which has not been easy on anybody either — the students, the teachers, the staff, the parents, everybody,” she said. “A renovation is great, once it’s done, but getting through it is hard.”
The project included a 25,000 square foot expansion, new gym, and several new classrooms to accommodate students who were relocated to Thomas Paine after the closure of Wiley.
More than 100 students came to Thomas Paine after Wiley closed last year for asbestos removal and renovations. A total of 41 went to Yankee Ridge.
“You have all those students that have integrated (into Thomas Paine) and from what I see I think it’s worked out very well, but my heart would go out to those students too because they’re going to get moved again,” May-Borich said.
The Urbana School Board voted to reopen Wiley as a 6th Grade Center in the 2025-26 school year once construction is completed.
Tellez said that decision came after a District Facilities Committee, made up of community members, families, and staff, gave its final report and recommendation to reopen Wiley as a 6th Grade Center. The construction, estimated to cost around $20 million, is currently in the design phase.
DeShawn Williams, Chief Deputy Treasurer for Champaign County, and a parent of a third grade Yankee Ridge student, said he thinks the administrators’ intentions are in the right place, but many people have felt voiceless throughout the decision-making process over the last year.
“I feel as though there was an opportunity to build trust between the community and administrators that we may have lost sight of during this process,” Williams said. “Considering the situation with Wiley closing there seems to be a mutual interest among community members that would’ve liked to see that building seriously considered.”
May-Borich took issue with the fact that it would be very disruptive to move students enrolled in the cross categorical special education program at Thomas Paine, which also underwent renovations.
“(The district) would be spending more money if they moved those kids (in the special education program) out of there to another school,” she said. “It doesn’t make sense to me that they would move those kids.”
Teacher retention is also an issue for some. “I think several of us are concerned about teachers leaving. We certainly don’t want to lose any of our wonderful teachers,” May-Borich said.
Williams said moving his student to a different school would not be an ideal situation for his family.
“Yankee Ridge is currently two blocks from our home. Being in the same neighborhood as his school has allowed trust and relationships to be built that allow us to work with other parents to ensure kids are safe when traveling to and from school,” Williams said.
Aside from the benefits of living close to Yankee Ridge, Williams is also disheartened by the idea of removing his child from a school and classroom climate where he has thrived.
“We are not happy about having to potentially separate him from a group that he’s grown comfortable around,” Williams said.
Despite some reservations about the process, Williams says he has faith in the superintendent, school board, and administration.
“I trust that the decision will be what is best for our students and teachers. Progression often requires us to get out of our comfort zone,” Williams said. “I am willing to get out of my comfort zone if it means an equitable community to raise my family.”