School District 27J is bursting at the seams; classroom sizes are above target and the district is forecasted to reach a deficit of over 3,000 seats by 2018 -- 306 seats short in the elementary schools in the 2014 to 2015 school year. It’s grown 102% over the last ten years and now that growth has caused serious overcrowding in our schools. We simply cannot afford to let it get any worse and we definitely can’t rely on the state to help us either. It’s got to be up to us.

According to the district website:

Last year’s enrollment was 16,734.  This year’s enrollment is expected to reach 17,398 students.  By 2018, enrollment is projected at nearly 21,000 students. 

Both Brighton and Prairie View High Schools are currently overcrowded.  The overcrowding will be severe beginning 2015, and by 2018 there will be 1,328 more students than the schools can accommodate. 

 

In the fall of 2015, three of the four middle schools will be overcrowded and by the following year, all four middle schools will be overcrowded.  By 2018, enrollment will exceed school capacity by over 1,100 students.  In the north area, Northeast Elementary School will be overcrowded in the coming years by over 225 students.  In the south area, Turnberry Elementary is already overcrowded and will be severely overcrowded beginning the fall of 2015 by 400 students. The five schools in our south area will not be able to provide enough capacity to serve the total enrollment there by 2017.  In the west area, where only the first phase (one-half school) and one other elementary exist to serve neighborhood students, crowding will be a serious problem beginning 2015 at Brantner Elementary, and 2016 at West Ridge Elementary. In the west area, we anticipate that there will be over 250 more students than seats by 2018.

Together, we can do something about this problem before it gets any worse. Vote “Yes on 3B” to invest in success for School District 27J.