D203 gets funds for schools
Voters OK $115 million referendum
Naperville School District 203 will make its old school new.
Residents voted Tuesday in support of the district's $115 million facility improvement plan, which, among other things, devotes $87.7 million toward renovating and expanding Naperville Central High School. They voted 17,612 to 12,356 in favor or the plan, according to unofficial referendum results.
(Danielle Gardner/STNG)
(Danielle Gardner/STNG)
PHOTO GALLERY
• Super Tuesday
• Local coverage: Election 2008
85 of 85 precincts reporting
Yes 17,612 No 12,356
"I think when they understood all of the specifics of the referendum, they said, 'You know what? This makes sense,'" said Jim Dennison, co-chair of Build the Future 203, a resident group urging people to support the district's proposal.
The centerpiece of the plan is the project at Central, a 60-year-old building that, after numerous additions, had become instructionally and operationally inefficient, according to the district. District 203's board settled on this plan after considering a costly, complete rebuild of the school and a much cheaper plan that called for minimal improvements.
"I think the people feel like we did what was right for this community and for the high school, that this was the right decision to make," said District 203 board President Suzyn Price. "And in a situation where you have people who want a new high school, and people who don't want anything, to renovate seems like the right compromise, doesn't it?"
The vote also funds the creation of an early childhood center for $11 million, a $7.3 million renovation and expansion project at Mill Street Elementary School, and for Naperville North High School, $5.2 million to repair the school's swimming pool, improve its traffic flow, and add synthetic turf to its football field.
"I think it shows that the board made the right decision and that the board is in tune with the majority of the voters and residents in Naperville in terms of its facilities and finances," said Superintendent Alan Leis.
District 203 asked for permission to borrow $43 million to fund these projects, and to raise taxes to repay that debt, with interest, over 20 years. The district intends to cover the plan's other $72 million of expenses with surplus operating revenue.
According to District 203, the tax increase will amount to about $82 a year for the average District 203 homeowner. That average home's value, according to the district, is $335,440.
Contact Tim Waldorf at twaldorf@scn1.com or 630-416-5270.