Published: May 15, 2008 09:23 am         

Legislation would fund local co-op

Three schools involved in 10-year effort

DANVILLE — Hopes hang on the advancement of a General Assembly bill calling for funds to permit the co-op of three local high schools.

It has been a 10-year effort to pass legislation allowing Jamaica, Oakwood and Catlin school districts to form a co-op high school. If successful, the co-op among the three smaller districts would be the first to do so in the state.

The measure — House Bill 628 — passed the House on Tuesday with a 84-23 majority vote. State Rep. Bill Black, R-Danville, is the sponsor of the bill, which appropriates $25 million toward the design and construction of a new high school for the districts.

Oakwood Superintendent Keven Forney said Tuesday’s vote offers a chance that the measure could make it through the Senate and final approval by Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

“It does make you have a lot of hope, hope it can continue on,” he said of HB 628. “It would be a wonderful thing as a gift for the school kids.”

Mark Janesky, superintendent for the Jamaica school district, looks at the first step with cautious optimism, pointing out the bill faces more hurdles. Voters in the school districts would have to approve the co-op concept for it to become a reality.

“We’ll take it one step at a time,” he said. “I’m happy it made it through the House, now I’ll sit back and wait if it gets past the other two steps.”

Initial steps already have been taken for the bill on the Senate side. It was placed on the Senate calendar for a first reading on Wednesday. State Sen. Michael Frerichs, D-Gifford, was listed as chief sponsor in the Senate.

Forney said he was willing to write letters and testify before legislators as to the value of the co-op if it helped move the bill forward.

“We stand ready to do what we can,” he said.

Black originally was approached with the idea by school administrators as well as school board members and residents from the three school districts, which average a couple hundred students each and see no new growth.

As part of the co-op idea, the school districts would maintain separate elementary schools. The new high school, if it becomes a reality, could see more than 600 students.

If passed, the house bill has an effective date of July 1.