District 113 School Board to vote April 7 on home for in-house transition program

From job training to daily living skills, transition programs offer vital skills to special-needs students recently completing high school. Township High School District 113 is poised to make a significant investment to launch its own program, following a change in its previous arrangement. 

Superintendent Dr. Chala Holland has recommended that the district purchase 1161 Lake Cook Road in Deerfield for $3 million and transform it into a new District 113 transition program. The district, which operates Highland Park and Deerfield high schools, projects renovations to cost an additional $500,000. 

The location is west of Pfingsten Road and neighbors other community institutions, such as Rochelle Zell Jewish High School. The building used to house KGH Autism Services.

The D113 School Board is set to vote on the purchase on Tuesday, April 7.

The transition program is a special education service for young adults ages 18 to 22 that bridges the gap between high school and adulthood. Among other supports, the district’s transition program will offer vocational training, community-based instruction and interagency collaboration. 

TrueNorth Educational Cooperative 804 has partnered with D113 to oversee its transition program for many years, but following “reorganization to ensure long-term sustainability,” TrueNorth decided to withdraw from this partnership. D113 was the only TrueNorth member without an in-house transition program, said Holland in her official recommendation. 

District 113 is now required to run and operate its own transition program by July 1, 2027. 

“While this sudden transition was initially unsettling for the students and families who rely on these services, we are treating this as an exciting opportunity,” Holland wrote. “By bringing this program in-house, we can collaboratively design a space and curriculum that we can stand behind with great pride.”

The transition program will maximize student independence, according to Holland. 

“Young adults need an age-appropriate, community-based setting (not a traditional high school campus) to learn independent living, functional life skills and vocational readiness,” Holland wrote in her recommendation. “Securing an appropriate facility is an absolute necessity.”

The recommended site in Deerfield, according to Holland, supports the multifaceted needs of the students, offering the right space for vocational training, life skills simulation and community access. 

If approved, the property will serve as a “dedicated long-term home” and a new “in-house” facility to the D113 transition program. 

Families and staff have been included in the development of the program, and in Holland’s presentation to the board March 16, a quote from a parent reads:

“One of the most important investments the district can make is into the lives of the students in the program. Please do not cut corners — they deserve and are worthy of our attention and resources.” 

The purchase and renovation of the property reportedly will be funded directly through the district’s existing reserves, and documents show the cost, $3.5 million, is approximately 6% of those reserves, leaving the fund balance between $56.9 and $57.3 million. 

The district believes it can recoup those costs over the next five years through program and rent savings, documents show.

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