The Old Town School should not sell its building at 909 W. Armitage in Lincoln Park, a committee made up of board members, teachers, staff and students told its board of directors on Saturday, March 9.

Instead, the best outcome for the School will result by making some capital improvements to the building and working to “reinvigorate” student enrollment, the 909 Alternatives Working Group concluded. 

After the meeting, OTS chief executive officer Jim Newcomb sent an email to OTS members saying that the board will “plan to have some decisions to share at end of March.”

The recommendation from the 909 Alternatives group was included in one of three presentations made to the board by working groups appointed in December. The other two groups reported recommendations for boosting student enrollment and improving internal collaboration and communications.

909 Alternatives 

The 909 working group considered 11 different options, from selling the building to continuing operations unchanged -- with several options under which part of the building would be used by OTS and part would be sold or leased for commercial purposes.

Based on an analysis of the five-year financial impact, the group unanimously concluded that “the imminent sale of 909 W. Armitage is not necessary,” said Jamie Rachlin, board member and co-chair of the working group. Even including an estimated cost of $150,000 to make desirable improvements in the building, this was the best financial outcome, “and it was also the lowest risk,” Rachlin said.

“It’s not a foregone conclusion that this will work, but everyone wants to see this tried,” Rachlin said.

Before a final decision is made, Newcomb’s letter said, the board wants more information about the financial impact of continuing operations at 909, and about the likelihood that student enrollment -- which has declined for seven consecutive years -- can be increased.

Enrollment 

The Enrollment Working Group’s presentation concluded that it is possible to turn enrollment around. “We must increase enrollment, and that’s got to be the No. 1 priority,” said board member Christine Donovan, co-chair of the enrollment group. “There are things that can be done if we are willing to do them.”

The enrollment group concluded that building enrollment is a “team sport,” and that it will require the school to improve its marketing, curriculum, classroom experience and community-building efforts. 

Communications

The Communications Working Group concluded that the most urgent priority for the School is to improve internal communications -- and more broadly, the school’s culture.

"We are asking the board -- and ourselves -- to commit to changing our culture such that we live our values and act more inclusively, transparently, and with more humanity," said teacher Rebecca Toon, one of the members of the group.

“We need a re-set. We need to restore trust in each other. We need to find a way to improve general morale and respect each other again,” Toon told the board. “We can absolutely turn this ship around -- if we continue to work together.”

The School announced in October that it was planning to sell the Lincoln Park building, a decision that led to enormous opposition from teachers, students and long-time members of the School’s community. The board responded by appointing the three working groups. In January, executive director Bau Graves retired from the position he had held since 2007.  Newcomb, a member of the board, was appointed to serve as interim CEO until June 2020. 

Board Chair Kish Khemani thanked the working groups. He said their work -- involving board members, staff, teachers and members of the school’s community -- could “become a model for how the organization should work in the future.”

“In the future, I think we’ll remember today as a positive moment in the history of the Old Town School,” Khemani said.