District 303 forum could gauge public's willingness for tax increase

St. Charles Unit District 303 residents will literally try to connect the dots tonight on a road map that could see as much as $292 million spent or just a no-cost realignment of curriculum offerings.

District 303 staff will present all the school improvement options on the table as well as address the reasons why so many of the schools are in need of work at a final community meeting. Residents will weigh in on an individual basis by placing special dots on large displays of all the available options. The district will then use the informal votes as a guideline for any possible tax increase it seeks on 2009 ballots.

Superintendent Don Schlomann said he's heard many compliments about the effort to get a comprehensive list of the building needs of each school. The study lead to the realization that neither a third high school nor an additional middle school is necessary if the public is willing to pay for some building expansions and replacements.

"I think the study was something people in this district really wanted," Schlomann said. "There's an awful lot of talk about money right now, but there's a good deal of things that we're asking for the opinions of the community on that don't have an impact on taxes."

Indeed, everything from rebuilding some schools entirely to all-day kindergarten, shrinking class sizes and introducing foreign language instruction in earlier grades will be discussed tonight.

There has been subtle grumbling in the community in recent months about the district not taking the best care of its buildings, leading to the need for a massive construction project.

"That's not true," Schlomann said. The motivation behind most of the construction work is a need to have schools that address modern approaches to education and provide for full inclusion of students with special needs and basic ventilation and security enhancements.

Schlomann compared the situation to the difference between a modern car and a car from 1965 that runs on leaded gasoline.

"That old car is a great car, runs well, operates well, but probably doesn't run on unleaded gasoline the way it used to run on leaded gasoline," Schlomann said. "Similarly, it's not that our buildings haven't been kept up; it's that the buildings weren't designed to do the things we need them to do now."

The public meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Charlestowne Mall on Kirk Road and Route 64. Enter on the lower level near the theater entrance.