Candidates with better plan needed

I think most Wheaton Warrenville District 200 residents would agree that everyone benefits from good schools. At issue in the current referendum is who will best represent their interests.

Let's look at some facts. The D200 board has admitted that they have consistently underfunded maintenance and upgrade of the school facilities. About half of the current funding request is targeted for such deferred work which should have been part of the annual budget.

The district already carries $173 million in debt, which is a little above the average percent debt to revenue ratio in the state of Illinois. The current debt service is $18 million a year which takes away from other funding needs. The proposed debt could more than double this obligation until some of the previous debt is retired. For the rest of the proposed projects, the district has forecast no quantitative benefits like improved test scores or college ready levels. State property taxes are already among the highest in the country.

This all raises some key questions. Other than for the construction of Hubble school, where did the rest of the $173 million go? Paying the debt? Additional staff? Administrator and teacher salaries? Can we afford such high levels of debt? Can we trust the current board and their recommended candidates to do a better job? It's suspicious that every school needs a project? Is this just part of the professional marketing of the referendum to attract voters?

It appears to me that the prudent way forward is to defeat this referendum and vote for candidates who will put forth a more reasonable plan as well as provide sounder fiscal management. Having reviewed such plans, I believe candidates Hamilton, Lonks, Harnen and Hudock would provide this direction.

Bob Stozek

Wheaton