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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, In 1850, the county of DuPage was divided into
3 nine townships, and in 1855, the Illinois legislature passed a
4 law that allowed the State to use tax money to support local
5 public schools; School District 45 was created in April 1857,
6 in the town of York (York Township); in June 1857 the directors
7 purchased two lots (at $10 each) to build the first school, and
8 they borrowed $250.00 at 10% to begin construction; the school
9 was located at the corner of St. Charles Road and Meyers Road
10 and was called Meyers Road School; and
 
11     WHEREAS, The total cost of the school, including the
12 furnishings and the coal for the first year, was $872.95; the
13 schoolhouse was completed in December 1857 and school started
14 on December 24, 1857; there were only 19 families in the
15 district when the school opened; the first teacher was N.N.
16 Johnson, who taught and did the janitorial work for the first
17 four-month term for a salary of $33.00 per month; during the
18 early years, the length of District 45 school terms varied from
19 five to 10 months in length, with some school records showing a
20 six-month summer term and a two-month winter term; and
 
21     WHEREAS, By 1895 there were still only 29 families in the
22 district; the total expense for the school including teacher's
23 wages, coal, and repairs was $250.00; teachers' salaries ranged

 

 

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1 from $10 (with room and board) to $33 per month, sometimes with
2 a stipend for kindling the daily schoolroom fires; District 9
3 became District 45 and new schools were built; and
 
4     WHEREAS, By 1902 the district had been renamed District 45;
5 in 1908 a referendum was held for the purpose of expansion, and
6 by a vote of 83 to 5, it was decided to abandon the 50-year-old
7 Meyers Road School and to issue bonds for $7,000 to build a new
8 school in the subdivision of Ardmore; in 1912, the new
9 four-room Ardmore School was opened with 59 pupils; by 1916,
10 the district had 148 pupils and a budget of $5,000 for the
11 education fund and $3,000 for the building fund; in 1916
12 another referendum approved $18,000 to put the first addition
13 on to Ardmore School, including four new classrooms, a hall,
14 and an office; by this time, there was a full-time principal
15 and eight teachers; and
 
16     WHEREAS, By 1922 the enrollment had risen to 322 pupils,
17 making it legally necessary to increase the school board from
18 three members to seven members; in anticipation of further
19 post-World War I growth, the voters approved a series of
20 referenda to approve construction of four more schools: Lincoln
21 and Washington Schools in 1924; Westmore School (Lombard) in
22 1926; and Franklin School in 1927; by 1925, school enrollment
23 had reached 600 and it was necessary to hire a full-time
24 superintendent of schools; Superintendent H.E. Hinkel came in

 

 

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1 the 1925-1926 school year and served as superintendent through
2 the 1948-1949 school year; by the time Superintendent Hinkel
3 left in 1948, he had seen the beginnings of a tremendous
4 expansion of the village and the school population; and
 
5     WHEREAS, In 1950, the plans were laid so that 95% of the
6 pupils would be within walking distance from their homes;
7 during the years from 1950 to 1971, 10 more schools were
8 opened, including Jackson Junior High (1953) and Jefferson
9 Junior High (1962); neighborhood schools included Edgewood
10 (1955); Madison (1956); North (1956); Schafer (1957); York
11 Center (1958); Iowa (1962); High Ridge (1967); and Stevenson
12 (1971); and
 
13     WHEREAS, By 1970, the school population had reached 6,910
14 students; from 1980 to 1982, eight schools were closed; during
15 the next two years, the community faced the disappointment and
16 upheaval of eight neighborhood schools being closed; and
 
17     WHEREAS, During the 1982-1983 school year District 45
18 celebrated its 125th anniversary; on June 6, 1983, the district
19 buried a time capsule in Veterans Memorial Park (now Cortesi
20 Park) on Kenilworth across from the old post office; the
21 capsule contained memorabilia from the 125th year and items
22 popular with the students in 1983; with assistance from the
23 Villa Park Parks and Recreation Department the capsule was

 

 

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1 unearthed on March 27, 2008; and
 
2     WHEREAS, Many changes have occurred in the last 25 years;
3 in 1995 the school established the District 45 Foundation for
4 Excellence in Education to raise funds for innovative and
5 creative instructional programs that cannot be funded through
6 the normal operations budget; in 2007-2008, the 150th
7 anniversary year, school population stands at 3537 with a staff
8 of 487; and
 
9     WHEREAS, The population of District 45 has become much more
10 diverse in terms of ethnic and racial makeup; at least 38
11 different languages are now spoken by District 45 students;
12 language programs for non-native English speakers and cultural
13 and social programs address the diversity of the district and
14 the village; and
 
15     WHEREAS, Today, School District 45 is the home a of 2006
16 Blue Ribbon School, two Illinois Spotlight Schools, the
17 recipient of an Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic
18 Opportunity ZERO Waste Grant, as well as the Carol M. White
19 Physical Education Grant; all eight school buildings have been
20 remodeled and additions have been built at seven; all students
21 and staff have Internet access; and all eight schools and the
22 district have shown significant progress in student
23 achievement under the No Child Left Behind Act; therefore, be

 

 

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1 it
 
2     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
3 NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
4 congratulate the staff and faculty of School District 45 on a
5 rich history of providing quality education to the many
6 students who have passed through the school doors; and be it
7 further
 
8     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
9 presented to a representative of School District 45 as a symbol
10 of our sincere respect.