Registering new students for school in Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 became more convenient for the 2025-2026 term as all the services for new students are centralized in one location.
Until now, families registering new students went to the Welcome Center on Greenwood Avenue in the northern part of the city to meet some of their needs and Lincoln Center, the former administrative building, to meet other requirements.
With the opening of the Education Service Center at the northwest corner of Washington and Genesee streets in downtown Waukegan, the registration process and related activities — like testing and transportation — are in one place.
“Now it’s one-stop shopping,” District 60 Superintendent Theresa Plascencia said. “This allows collaboration and support for not only staff members, but all stakeholders.”
Members of the District 60 administration and staff are currently in the process of moving their offices and work stations to the Education Service Center in downtown Waukegan after a gut renovation of the former First Midwest Bank building.
District 60 staff began moving into the building in early July. Nick Alatzakis, the district’s communications director, said the process is ongoing and hopefully everyone will be in place by the first day of school on Aug. 11.
Already operating on the first floor in its new home is the Welcome Center, Eric Christianson, the district’s director of academic support programs, said services like registration, transportation, nutrition, English-learners, diverse learners and student outreach are in one spot.
“These are all the things which impact the registration process of a new student,” Christianson said. “It’s helpful to the families. We have ample free parking. Before we had one small lot. It’s easily accessible to public transportation. We used to have to send some people to Lincoln Center to finish.”
If a language other than English is spoken in the home, Alatzakis said the child must be tested to determine the youngster’s proficiency in English. If they need remedial help, they are registered for it. Student outreach provides services for unhoused families.
In the past, Christianson said registration and the related services were done on an unscheduled basis. People walked into the building and registered. There could be a long wait. Now appointments are made online or by phone, which eliminates long lines out the door.
If people enter unscheduled, Christianson said they are accommodated around planned appointments. Everyone signs in on arrival electronically at the reception desk.
“This is a stressful situation,” Christianson said, “Having everything here, we can minimize the stress and avoid sending people to multiple locations.”
Families of District 60 students are not the only beneficiaries of the renovation and reopening of a vacant downtown midrise. Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham said in a text Saturday that the move, “is a fantastic opportunity that will undoubtedly attract more visitors to our vibrant downtown area.”
“This influx of people presents a unique chance for our small businesses to thrive as they draw in new customers,” he wrote. It ensures “our community receives the support it deserves,” he added, referring to the ground floor Wraparound Center.
Just over a year ago, the Wraparound Center — offering a variety of counselling and other services — opened on the lower level of the Education Service Center. It has a separate entrance with access to the facility.
Occupying the mezzanine, which also has public access, are the human resources and payroll departments. Alatzakis said these departments can receive frequent visits from members of the district’s staff.
The upper floors are occupied by the administration and other departments. LeBaron Moten, the district’s deputy superintendent for operational supports and programs, said the superintendent and her staff, the legal department, deputy, assistant and area superintendents are there, too.
“This is a more welcoming environment for families and our staff,” Moten said. “It puts us near the College of Lake County, and (both) city and county services.”
Most of the finance department and information technology will remain at Lincoln Center.
Plascencia said the future of Lincoln Center’s now-abundant unused space remains an open question. With the U.S. Department of Education in the process of being dismantled, there are a lot of unknowns in the educational world, she said.
“Due to the uncertainty coming from the current administration in Washington with changing executive orders, we are going to wait and see what direction the laws are going,” Plascencia said. “We do not know about grants and other programs.”