Superintendent's Page

Dear District 57 Community,

I hope your family is enjoying a relaxing break. I would like to take a moment to share some information on three topics that pertain to the 2010-2011 school year: Transportation, school start/dismissal times, and capital improvement projects.

The first topic is transportation. I am sure that most of you are aware that the Administration and Board of Education have studied transportation and explored options to best serve the District’s transportation needs. At the July 15th Regular Business Meeting, the Board of Education approved Administration’s recommendation to outsource the non-instructional service of bus transportation. Beginning on the first day of the 2010-2011 school year (August 25), bus transportation will be provided by Grand Prairie Transit, a subsidiary company of Cook – Illinois Corporation. Cook – Illinois has been providing school bus transportation for more than forty years and has an excellent reputation for its quality of service.

Among the many specifics in our contract with Grand Prairie Transit is detail to the level of service the community has come to expect with our in-house transportation service. The contract with Grand Prairie Transit also guarantees employment for any of our current bus drivers who want to accept the offer. Any of our drivers who elect to work for Grand Prairie Transit will be assigned to their current District 57 routes. If your children use the bus transportation service, be sure to register prior to 
July 30 for the discounted rate.

Finally, the scheduled capital improvement projects in each of our schools are progressing on schedule. The renovations at Westbrook School are beautiful and will provide our PreK, K and 1st grade a wonderful learning environment. Our first grade parents will have an opportunity to meet with their teachers and tour the classrooms at the start of the school year. (Further communication will be forthcoming from Mrs. Jan Ewing, principal of Westbrook School.) In addition to the Westbrook renovations, there are many projects going on across all schools in the District: Washroom renovations, HVAC improvements, concrete/masonry enhancements, flooring, and Life Safety improvements.

All of these projects represent our ongoing commitment to provide the best learning environment to our children. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact my office or your building principal.

I hope you and your family enjoy the rest of the summer. We look forward to starting the 2010-2011 school year.

Sincerely,

Elaine Aumiller, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools