Dist. 200 event calls for community input on future of facilities

Facilities were the focus of Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200's State of Our Schools address.

"We've got a lot to be proud of," Superintendent Jeff Schuler said Wednesday night to an audience of about 125 at Hubble Middle School. "What we also know is the future of education, the future of learning, the future of our learners is changing at a really rapid pace. It's changing right now probably at a rate that's faster than we have experienced before."

District 200 serves ages 3 through 22, Schuler said, in 23 buildings that cover 2.5 million square feet and more than 250 acres. The district has maintained a capital development plan and invested about $13 million in its facilities over the past five years. But now, he said, the district needs resident input to create a master facilities plan.

"The more participation that we get in this process, the better that this master facility plan is truly going to express the interest and goals of the community," he said.

A timeline of U.S. presidents was projected on the stage to explain how long it has been since each of the district's buildings was updated. Jefferson Early Childhood Center, located under Dwight D. Eisenhower, was the clear outlier.

"That's got to change," Schuler said. "We've got to address the needs that we have at Jefferson as a part of the master facilities plan."

However, Schuler noted how several other schools also haven't had updates in about 20 years.

"We know we've got work to do," he said.

Schuler said residents need to consider two puzzle pieces when offering suggestions: The physical aspects of the district's buildings, such as painting, windows and roofs, but also the educational assessment of each building, which factors in the type of spaces and furniture needed to facilitate 21st century learning.

Steve Turckes of Perkins+Will - the architecture firm hired by the board of education earlier this year to work on master facility planning - stressed the importance of resident involvement.

"Schools are really a reflection of the communities they sit in," he said. "They really hold up the aspirations and values of the community, so we really do need that input."

After reviewing residents' recommendations, the school board will adopt a master facilities plan, likely by the end of this school year or early next school year.

At the end of Wednesday's event, everyone who attended was asked to fill out a survey that asked what guiding principles are most important to them.

Bob Hummel of Wheaton said it was "a thought-provoking discussion," and as an interested taxpayer, he plans to come to future sessions.

"My initial reaction was that they're looking for input, but they're also looking for more money," he said. "You can see, especially when they gave us the timeline of the age of the facilities, they focused on Jefferson. I know there's a lot of discussion within the community around Jefferson and the funding that's going to require, and whether they should even do it or not, and you get the feeling that was their intent - to focus on Jefferson."

Melissa Tyer of Winfield doesn't have a child in the school district, but she was drawn to the meeting by a mailer delivered to her home.

"It's really nice that they put on something like this, to keep the community involved and to actually ask for people's input, and let people know what's happening," she said.

Tyer said the presentation was "definitely more facilities-oriented" than she expected, but she appreciates what the district is trying to do with its buildings.

"It's not very glamorous, new windows, new boilers and all that kind of stuff, but you're going to need it. You don't want to let it break," she said.

Residents are encouraged to attend three additional sessions about the district's facilities. A facilities assessment report will be presented at the next meeting at 7 p.m. Dec. 2 at Hubble Middle School.

The other meetings will be at 7 p.m. Jan. 20 and Feb. 17 at Monroe Middle School. Facility master plan options will be presented and revised at both meetings.