ROCHELLE — The Rochelle School District 231 Board of Education is not giving up its desire to continue discussions with Rochelle School District 212 about possibly consolidating and forming a unit district.

After hosting a public meeting at Lincoln Elementary School this past week, District 231 gathered at Rochelle Middle School on Tuesday for its monthly board meeting, and board members remain positive that discussions with District 212 can still be maintained.

“I thought the meeting went well,” District 231 Board Vice President Steven Builta said. “There were some good questions raised, and it was important to get information out for the public to really see what’s going on. I think it makes sense to continue trying to involve the high school, and I think there will be some interest in the community to encourage the high school to have conversations as well.”

Superintendent Todd Prusator outlined District 231’s case for consolidation during its public hearing at Lincoln School, with Prusator stating that the elementary district would be forced to either increase class sizes and decrease staff or push a referendum to increase taxes if the district is unable to alleviate its financial distress. The elementary district detailed its tentative 2018 budget on Tuesday, with the district projected to operate at a total deficit of $525,075.

A potential consolidation between District 231 and District 212 could funnel as much as over $11 million in revenue from the state of Illinois. The special meeting was held this past week as part of a requirement for both districts to apply for a waiver to move forward on consolidation efforts while allowing Rochelle’s four feeder districts (Kings, Eswood, Creston and Steward) to be independent.

The current waiver period is set to expire on Friday, Aug. 11, but elementary board members aim to continue discussions with the high school before the next expiration date in January 2018. Board members are also looking for the community to voice its opinion about a potential consolidation.

“I didn’t hear an outstanding reason not to consolidate,” District 231 Board President Dave Casey said. “I was trying to see if there was something from the public that made sense not to at least talk about it.”

“This is an issue that the public should be weighing in on,” District 231 Board Secretary Shirley Reif added. “Sometimes, when one party wins, it may be the perception that one party has to lose, and we have to somehow strike a balance between all those interconnecting circles.”