Students, families question decision to close Aurora STEM school Fifth-grader Dylan Shields says he has never been more challenged or more excited to learn since he started attending the John C. Dunham STEM Partnership School two years ago. Through the program, the Naperville boy recently created a greenhouse to grow plants and built a solar-powered car model, he said. Courtesy of Angela and Dylan Shields
With the John C. Dunham STEM Partnership School on the Aurora University campus slated to close at the end of the 2021-22 academic year, partnering districts are eyeing expanded STEM opportunities within their own schools.
Updated 5/11/2021 7:40 PM
The John C. Dunham STEM Partnership School in Aurora is slated to shut down at the end of next academic year, its governing board decided Tuesday in a devastating blow to parents and students who have been fighting to keep the program alive.
Superintendents from three of the four partnering school districts, as well as Aurora University President Rebecca Sherrick, voted to terminate their involvement in the 200-student school at least in its existing format.
They left the door open for a re-imagined partnership with a broader scope and a greater impact on students and educators. That s an important piece, that we moved away from this current model, and we re looking forward to a different partnership that helps promote those ideals of greater student exposure to STEM and creating more expertise throughout our teaching staff, said West Aurora District 129 Superintendent Jeff Craig, chairman of the governing board that comprises Sherrick and the fo
Indian Prairie board members divided in vote against dissolving STEM school partnership
In a convoluted 4-3 vote, Indian Prairie Unit District 204 board members on Monday opted against withdrawing from the John C. Dunham STEM Partnership School in Aurora. Brian Hill | Staff Photographer
Posted4/28/2021 5:20 AM
Frustrated by the process and concerned about the complexity of their decision, Indian Prairie Unit District 204 school board members have been wrestling with the prospect of withdrawing from the John C. Dunham STEM Partnership School in Aurora.
In a convoluted 4-3 vote Monday, they opted against terminating their involvement in the highly touted program. But the issue remains unresolved, they said, with the fate of the STEM school also resting in the hands of their four partners: Batavia District 101, West Aurora District 129, East Aurora District 131 and Aurora University.