Des Plaines School District 62 is buying a roughly 2-acre site near North Elementary School for a potential future expansion.
Courtesy of Des Plaines School District 62
Des Plaines School District 62 is buying land for a future expansion of the North Elementary School campus.
The school board on July 15 approved purchasing land at 1717 Rand Road, Des Plaines, from Maryville Academy, a religious, Des Plaines-based organization that provide care for children. The site now houses a regional office of Catholic Charities.
The property is on the northwest side of the school at 1789 Rand Road. The roughly 2-acre site will cost the district about $1.1 million.
“This additional land will provide much-needed space for North Elementary School to grow and enhance programming for students,” Superintendent Michael Amadei said in a news release.
District 62 officials haven’t determined exactly how they’ll use the property. It will be included in a future strategic plan.
“This acquisition will serve the district well,” school board President Ronald Burton said. “It will provide needed space and access to existing district property for many generations to come.”
A real estate closing is expected this fall, officials said.
Catholic Charities has other regional offices in the Chicago area. They’re in Waukegan, Cicero and Blue Island. The organization also has a facility in Round Lake.
More than 4,300 students are enrolled at 12 schools in District 62, a spokeswoman said. That figure is expected to grow as the new school year approaches.
Of those kids, more than 500 are enrolled at North Elementary.
The current North Elementary School opened in 1952. It replaced a facility about a half-mile away that opened in 1874.
Additions were made to the current building in 1964, 1968 and 1989.