Wi-Fi, bricks and mortar back on D204 radar

After a year of drastic budget cuts, Indian Prairie District 204 wants to get back on track by replacing old computers, expanding the wireless infrastructure to cover all of Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie Valley high schools and completing some bricks and mortar projects like replacing the roof at Cowlishaw Elementary School.

“None of this is addressing everything we'd like to put in place for our kids,” Superintendent Kathy Birkett said. “It's a little of keeping our head above water, but continuing to move forward.”

District officials now plan to order computers and seek bids on projects. District staff spends the summer installing wiring and overseeing such work before school resumes.

The district has been operating under an austerity plan that called for $28 million in cuts. As a result, expenditures and projects were put on hold. Now, officials prefer to call it a time of efficiency, saying the district needs to carefully prioritize expenditures and do some catching up. That includes keeping technology current and to taking care of some infrastructure needs.

For instance, about $1.45 million will go toward technology improvements like replacing outdated computers at 10 schools and at Frontier freshman campus and Neuqua in Naperville and Waubonsie in Aurora. Also, Wi-Fi access will be upgraded from covering 25 percent of Neuqua and Waubonsie to total coverage. Money to pay for the Wi-Fi upgrade will come from funds that originally were earmarked for replacement computers at four other elementary schools. Stan Gorbatkin, director of technology services, said he is confident the computers can last another year and felt more students and teachers would benefit from the Wi-Fi access. “What the wireless infrastructure does is that it allows us to use resources we already have in a more flexible way,” he said. If the computers are replaced instead of adding the Wi-Fi, “we would really be doing nothing to continue moving us ahead in trying to shift the way we deliver instruction,” he said.

Also, the district is setting aside $2.2 million for capital improvements and repairs. Beside the Cowlishaw roof replacement, the district will make safety repairs at different schools. Concrete and asphalt repair work will be done; energy efficient lighting will be installed; and general maintenance projects will be completed. A general assessment of the district's buildings also will be made to create a list of future projects.

“Facilities are similar to technology in that the minimum spending plan we're presenting tonight allows us to keep pace. It keeps us from falling further behind, but it really doesn't get us caught up,” said Dave Holm, assistant superintendent of business.

The district also is looking for ways to save money or raise revenue. Ideas being considered include leasing school property to store buses during off hours; asking students who drive to school to opt out of bus transportation, potentially eliminating six bus routes; using teachers to drive small contract buses for the STEPS program; increasing preschool tuition by up to $10 a month; and increasing lunch fees by 10 cents to cover increased costs. For now, those ideas are being explored and would be brought before the board for discussion before being implemented.