District 200 open houses to discuss proposed facility projects

Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 will conduct a series of open houses to educate residents about proposed facility projects that could be partially or fully funded through voter approval of a spring referendum question.

The board of education is planning to put a request for a tax rate increase on the April 4 ballot to pay for roughly $150 million in improvements to its schools.

Board members are still debating whether the request should be for $150 million, which would result in an estimated $200 a year increase for the owner of a $322,000 home, or $130 million, which would drop the increase to about $175 a year for the same homeowner.

If the board selects the $130 million option, it will have to consider other funding sources to close the $20 million gap, including the use of existing reserves, earmarking future operating dollars to the projects and possibly launching a capital campaign.

The board also could decide to go with the $130 million option and not use other funding sources, but in turn, some projects would have to be eliminated.

Superintendent Jeff Schuler said the open houses are intended to be a dialogue between district officials and the community, not an hour or two of residents listening to someone talk.

"We wanted it to really be an opportunity for people to spend as much time as they can to understand what's in the plan, get their questions answered," he said. "We were continuing to hear from community members, 'Can you help me understand how this facility plan helps my school?'"

One meeting will be held at Jefferson Early Childhood Center and focused solely on the district's plans to build a new facility to house all its early childhood programs. The other meetings will be held at the middle schools. Discussions at each will be centered on any work that will be done at the host school, the elementary schools that feed into the host school and a high school.

All the open houses will run from 6 to 8 p.m., and tours of the host schools will be offered. They are scheduled for:

• Monday, Nov. 7, at Monroe Middle School - information on Monroe; Emerson, Pleasant Hill, Sandburg and Washington elementaries; Wheaton North.

• Thursday, Nov. 10, at Hubble Middle School - information on Bower, Johnson and Wiesbrook elementaries; Wheaton Warrenville South.

• Monday, Nov. 14, at Franklin Middle School - information on Franklin; Hawthorne, Longfellow, Lowell and Washington elementaries; Wheaton North.

• Tuesday, Nov. 15, at Jefferson Early Childhood Center - information on proposed new early learning center on Jefferson site.

• Thursday, Dec. 1, at Edison Middle School - information on Edison; Lincoln, Madison and Whittier elementaries; Wheaton Warrenville South.

The proposed work would result in more secure entries, library renovations, roof replacements and science room improvements. It also includes updates to the mechanical, plumbing and, in some cases, electrical systems at all the schools.

Schuler said he hopes the open houses not only educate residents, but give officials some feedback that will help the board with its decisions.

The board needs to vote on whether to put a referendum question on the ballot by its Jan. 11, 2017, meeting. Anyone who is unable to attend an open house but still wants information should visit www.cusd200.org, email communications@cusd200.org or call (630) 682-2000.