Since tax caps were imposed, the District 36 School Board has balanced its budget by presenting cyclical referenda to the voters. Residents approved two operating rate referenda, in 2000 and 2003, and a 2000 bond referendum for capital improvements to facilities. Due to better-than-expected fiscal performance, the School Board does not anticipate another operating referendum until after 2008.

Deferred Life Safety and Other Capital Improvements

The School Board has identified $12.1 million in capital improvement projects for all five schools. Included in this figure are $9.6 million in State-mandated “life safety” projects, such as fire doors and alarm systems, which must be completed within the next ten years. The $12.1 million also reflects the cost to update ventilation systems, plumbing, bathrooms and lighting fixtures, and to repair and replace windows and roofs. The District currently spends $500,000 annually on Life Safety projects. The scope of the capital projects reflects: (1) the 74-year average age of the schools (the national average is 42 years); and (2) the District’s deferral of capital expenditures due to tax caps and residents’ consistently expressed desire for fiscal restraint.

Over the next two months, the School Board will hold community meetings to consider what portion, if any, of these life safety/capital improvements it will seek to finance in a 2007 referendum along with the facilities expansion discussed below.

A. Why Might the District Propose Expansion?

The District is studying expansion plans for Greeley (K-4) and Washburne (7-8) schools. Expansion will enable the District to maintain class size in light of projected increases in enrollment; to ensure that safe building use levels are not exceeded; to provide adequate space for curricular programming; to reflect changes in classroom support services, and, at Greeley, to accommodate more children remaining at school for lunch.

B. What Might Expansion Entail?

The School Board has not yet made a final decision to proceed with a facilities expansion referendum, much less a determination about the scope of any such expansion.

However, the expansion plans that the District is currently studying for Greeley include new classrooms and cafeteria space. For Washburne, they include additional classrooms (specifically for science, foreign language, music and kinetic wellness); new bathrooms; and additional space for technology, extracurricular and multipurpose uses. The Washburne plan may also include a reconfigured entry and office space, and enhanced student flow between the two wings of the building.

C. What Might Expansion Cost?

The District’s preliminary cost estimates have not been formally presented to the Board. The preliminary estimates developed thus far range from $4.8 - $12.1 million for Greeley and $19.0 - $22.5 million for Washburne, or a total range of $23.8 to $34.6 million.

D. What’s Next?

The District plans to finalize its capital improvement program by the end of October, and a referendum could be presented to the voters as early as April 2007. It also plans to hold a series of meetings this fall at which residents can learn more about the facility plans and voice their opinions. Details of these meetings will be posted on the District website (www.winnetka36.org).