North Chicago School District Superintendent John Price got an unexpected call from U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Highland Park, in February of 2023. Price said Schneider asked him if he could meet him and U.S. Navy Sec. Carlos Del Toro that afternoon at Forrestal Elementary School.
Forrestal was built in 1957, and beyond its useful life as a building. Leaks at Forrestal, were frequent and the drinking fountains were unusable because of lead in the water system. The need for a new building was acute.
“That next hour changed everything for Forrestal,” Price said. “That call made the difference. The secretary said he was committed to getting us a new school.”
Schneider, Price, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Springfield, and other school and local officials broke ground Friday for the new Forrestal Elementary School Friday on vacant land adjacent to the existing campus in North Chicago funded primarily with a $57 million grant from the Navy.
Price said the $72 million price tag for the new elementary school will come from that grant through the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation, and the balance from a combination of state and local money.
Construction was already underway when the groundbreaking ceremony occurred. Price said the district plans to open the new building at the start of the 2026-2027 school year. Currently educating kindergartners through third graders, there will be fourth and fifth-grade classrooms a year after the new building opens.
Once funding for the new school was set, Price said the district had another obstacle to overcome. Any time a school building is built, state law requires a referendum, even when there is no property tax impact. Enter state Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove, and state Sen. Julie Morrison, D-Lake Forest.
Johnson, who represents North Chicago and is the chair of the Senate Education Committee, said she crafted legislation to waive the referendum requirement. Morrison assisted, and the law was signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Aug. 9.
“It wasn’t going to require an increase in property taxes,” Johnson said. “I worked with my colleagues, especially Julie Morrison, to get this done in time. The staff did a great job of getting the bill ready.”
Durbin said the effort leading to the groundbreaking involved collaboration with every level of government from the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Illinois General Assembly to local officials.
“This is very good for Navy families and for the families of North Chicago,” Durbin said before the ceremony. “Every sailor comes through Great Lakes (for basic training), and this is important for their families.”
Navy Capt. Steve Yargosz, the commanding officer at Naval Station Great Lakes, said before the groundbreaking the impact of a 21st-century school building goes beyond educating the children of Navy families and North Chicago youngsters.
“Children will learn better in a new school,” he said. “With their children in a good school, the people here will do a better job at the base. That will enhance national security.”
Normally Forrestal students move on to A.J. Katzenmaier Elementary School for fourth and fifth grade. Price said in the years ahead students will be able to choose to remain at Forrestal for those grades, with military families getting priority.
“That will mean less transition for them,” he said. “They get plenty of transition when the families change stations.”
Forrestal will be the second new District 187 building since 2022, when Neal Math and Science Academy middle school opened. It was financed by AbbVie for $45 million.
