Victorious District 203 already working on details of facilities plans
Naperville Unit District 203 already has started working out details of proposed facility projects that supporters say will leave a "great legacy" for the community.
Voters on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved the district's $43 million tax increase proposal, which garnered 58.8 percent of the vote.
Jim Dennison, co-chairman of the Build the Future 203 committee, said the referendum wasn't about the district or the groups that formed for or against the proposal.
"It's about the community … coming together and doing what they feel is the right thing to change the educational landscape of this community in the future," Dennison said Wednesday.
"It's a great legacy to leave for future generations."
The tax increase will help fund nearly $115 million in facility projects, including an $87.7 million renovation of Naperville Central High School.
"Our students, particularly at Central, will have (upgraded) science labs and a high school they can be even prouder of," Superintendent Alan Leis said.
Other projects include a $7.3 million renovation and addition for Mill Street Elementary, building an $11 million early childhood center and improving the pool, football field and traffic flow at Naperville North High School. Prairie and Ranch View elementary schools and Washington Junior High will get security enhancements.
Administrators already were in meetings Wednesday to talk about the projects. In the coming months, architects will be creating more detailed designs and the district will start the process of applying for the necessary permits.
Major construction won't begin until spring 2009 at the earliest.
"It's a really exciting prospect for Naperville and education and our students," Leis said.
The tax bump will cost the average homeowner an additional $82 a year for 20 years.
Some residents who fought against the proposal said they don't trust the district with the additional funds.
Former District 203 school board member Mike Davitt released a statement Wednesday on behalf of People United for Responsible Spending in Education saying it will continue its watchdog efforts lest history repeat itself.
"The district will carry on with excessive employment contracts and fiscally irresponsible management," the statement read. "It'll only be a matter of time before they come back again asking the taxpayer for more money as student enrollment continues to decline."
But Dennison said he and other supporters will make sure the district follows through on what it promised.
He said the facility proposal gained traction in the community, especially in recent weeks, as a good solution for everyone.
"Once they understood a new high school is not practical and not going to happen and that the status quo is not an acceptable solution, they looked at this and said it makes sense," he said. "It's a fiscally responsible plan … a solution for the next 40, 50, 60 years."