DARE Gets Funding From STC Schools

Board OKs Contract for Student Growth Research

* The St. Charles school board voted 6-1 to approve a contract with
Northern Illinois University's Center for Governmental Studies to
conduct research on potential student growth and land use within the
school district's boundaries.

The study will analyze land capacity for residential growth and how
future growth will affect the district. Tom Hernandez, district
spokesman, said the study will not only help with projected
enrollment, but also anticipated growth. The study is expected to cost
$34,950 and be completed by Feb. 1.

ST. CHARLES - The Drug Abuse Resistance Program received funding
Monday from the school board for another year, but the program's
future at schools may be in doubt.

School board members voted 7-0 to once again fund DARE at five
elementary schools within St. Charles city limits. But questions over
the program's effectiveness could mean the district might seek other
drug-prevention programs after this academic year ends.

Stacy Anderson, district student assistance coordinator, said
questions exist whether the program is meeting its own goals of
teaching students to resist pressure to do drugs.

"When you look at the research, at the end of the day, it is not
effective in preventing drug use," she said.

The anti-drug program is taught by police officers in all of the
district's 12 elementary schools to fifth- and sixth-grade students.
The program's mission is to teach children to recognize and resist the
pressures to abuse drugs and alcohol.

The district pays for half of the program's costs, or about $49,000,
in five elementary schools that are within St. Charles city
boundaries. The city pays for the other half.

Kane County pays for the program to be taught in five district
elementary schools outside of St. Charles. The other two district
schools receive funding from the cities of South Elgin and West Chicago.

But district funding for DARE could stop, however, if a committee to
be set up next year recommends that the money could be better spent on
other programs. The district board would have to approve the change.

Melanie Raczkiewicz, district assistant supervisor for elementary
education, said the district is establishing a panel of staff, parents
and community members that will meet early next year to analyze the
program's cost-effectiveness.

Raczkiewicz said "there is a possibility" that funding for the program
could end at the end of this academic year. She stressed, however,
that if the district were to stop funding the program, then another
anti-drug program would replace DARE.

"If it is not DARE, then it is going to be something else that is
going to give students the tools and good decision-making skills (they
need)," she said.

Funding for the program at schools in unincorporated portions of the
county by the Kane County Board is also in doubt because of questions
over the effectiveness of the program.

The board's Executive Committee voted Nov. 5 not to approve Sheriff
Ken Ramsey's request of $15,000 of the county riverboat fund to help
pay for the program. But the county's Corrections and Rehabilitation
Committee voted Thursday to recommend that the Executive Committee
appropriate some money to the program.

The Executive Committee approves all grants from the county's
riverboat fund.