March 5, 2024
Dear Fremont Community,
The Educational Long-Range Facilities Planning (ELFP) process is currently underway at Fremont School District 79. This community-based plan is centered around the following:
Maintaining a focus on teaching, learning, and safety
Accounting for future enrollment growth
Committing to responsible financial stewardship
Community Involvement
Our Steering Committee, comprising educators, administrators, Board of Education representatives, parents, and community members, has been diligently working with DLR Group, a leading educational architecture firm, to develop a vision for the future of our school facilities. After meeting monthly starting this past January, the end product of the committee’s work will be a recommended 10-year plan that will be presented to the Board for approval in Fall 2024.
Community input will be vital throughout our planning process. This spring, we will ask you to complete a survey to capture our community’s priorities. We also invite you to submit inquiries or comments regarding the process to futurefremont@fsd79.org.
Enrollment Growth
With three housing developments currently in progress and the 3,200+ residential unit Ivanhoe Village project on the horizon, the District is preparing for transformational growth. We anticipate a 20-year growth period that may increase enrollment by over 1,000 students—a 50% increase. As we address both immediate facility needs and plan for longer-term enrollment growth, our commitment is to uphold educational excellence with responsible financial investments, protecting our current taxpayers’ interests.
Financial Planning
Specific to the Ivanhoe Village development, we are working collaboratively with the Village of Mundelein and the property developers to negotiate fair impact fees. Developer-paid impact fees are a one-time revenue source to help cover the school district’s capital and/or operational expenses prompted by the new development. The Village of Mundelein has full approval authority for the final agreement. We know the Village wants to do right by their schools, so we are grateful to have a seat at the table to ensure our schools have what they need.
Staying Informed
We encourage you to stay informed in the following ways:
Visit the District’s ELFP website, where you can find updates and presentations.
Tune into monthly Board of Education meetings for regular updates. Our next Board meeting is on Monday, March 18, and will feature a demographics study presentation reviewing enrollment projections for the next 10 years.
Review bi-monthly Fremont Focus e-newsletters for updates. To join our mailing list, please email publicrelations@fsd79.org.
Thank you for your continued support and engagement as we work together to shape the future of our school facilities and enhance the educational experience for all students in Fremont School District 79.
Sincerely,
Gabriela Whipple
Board President
