D-303: Tax Dollars for Students, Not Litigants

Parents seeking to reverse the reconfiguration of Richmond-Davis schools have filed an appeal and additional litigation seeking damages, according to a statement from district officials.

The entire statement from school officials has been attached to this post.

In September a judge rejected a request by some parents that the reorganization of the two schools be dismantled. Parents sued the district in March 2011, originally with the intent of halting the reorganization of the two elementary schools into learning centers, according to the Daily Herald. The lawsuit was dismissed, and District 303 implemented the changes for the 2011-12 school year.

The lawsuit was later reinstated on appeal.

Below is the entire statement from District 303 Superintendent Donald Schlomann released Oct. 16 regarding the new litigation that was filed:

"One month ago, the Kane County Circuit Court affirmed that the St. Charles Community Unit School District 303 Board of Education was completely within its legal rights and authority to reconfigure Davis and Richmond schools. That 2011 decision by the Board changed Davis into a K-2 primary school, and Richmond into a 3-5 intermediate school that offers, among other things, an extended school day, enhanced science curriculum and technology resources, and foreign language instruction. 

The Court identified specific procedural steps District 303 must take, and we are already well on our way to developing implementation plans to present to the Court for approval. These include increased parental participation in school planning, which is something we embrace, and additional support to underperforming students. 

At the beginning of October, we learned that the plaintiffs filed an appeal seeking to overturn the Court’s decision and force the District to reconfigure both Davis and Richmond to K-5 buildings. That filing marked the third time the plaintiffs have asked the courts to undo the Davis and Richmond reconfiguration, even after that same request has been twice denied by two different trial court judges. 

Last week, we were notified that one of the same plaintiffs and their attorney have now filed additional litigation specifically seeking money damages from the District due to their opposition to the Richmond and Davis school reconfigurations. 

As stated previously, these additional legal actions against the District were not completely unexpected. The plaintiffs’ attorney had threatened to file appeals and/or new lawsuits against District 303 unless we agreed to pay his fees and costs in an amount well into six figures. Because we are committed to using the District’s finite resources for the benefit of our schools and students—not to paying out public tax dollars to people who disagree with the Board’s decisions—this demand was rejected. 

While we regret that the District must continue to spend time and resources defending itself on a matter that has been decided by the Courts not once, but twice, we will do so to protect both the reputation and the financial stability of our District. We believe it is important to ensure that the courts understand the full perspective of the issues and implications of the plaintiffs’ multiple requests. Rest assured, however, that despite these legal battles, the Board of Education’s and Administration’s primary focus will remain on identifying and meeting the educational needs of all District 303 students ."