Endorsement: 'Yes' to repairs at Salt Creek Elementary

With two of its three schools dating to the 1950s, Salt Creek Elementary District 48 needs to make the kind of structural repairs that come with aging structures - roofs, masonry and mechanical items. Officials say the district, which serves 550 students in all or parts of Oakbrook Terrace, Oak Brook, Elmhurst and Villa Park, has been spending about $350,000 a year on routine maintenance but is falling behind.

So the district is asking voters to approve an $8 million bond issue that would span six years and cost the owner of a $300,000 house roughly $235 more a year. The district would tackle the repairs over the next few summer breaks.

Few homeowners look forward to tax hikes, but anyone who owns an aging structure knows it's best to be proactive about repairs. We endorse District 48's tax request.