Dist. 204 evaluating options for aging, crowded facilities
Indian Prairie Unit District 204 plans to seek appraisals on two buildings as school board members evaluate what to do with the facilities and the three special-needs programs they host.
The Indian Plains and Wheatland buildings are set to be appraised soon, as the district faces aging, structural issues and crowding.
The appraisals will help inform school board members as they aim to meet an Oct. 1 deadline set by administrators to determine the fate of Indian Plains, which has a core built 88 years ago that was expected to last 75 years. The district could renovate its deteriorating masonry and windows and fix inaccessible areas for $1.5 million; tear it down for $650,000; or turn it into an elementary school for $1.9 million.
Estimated property values for Indian Plains, at 1322 N. Eola Road in Aurora, and Wheatland, at 3003 103rd St. in Naperville, will be evaluated along with the results of a demographic study to examine population trends and decide how to balance enrollment with available space.
It all will help officials set a long-term plan for the district, which serves 28,000 students from parts of Naperville, Aurora, Bolingbrook and Plainfield, school board President Lori Price said.
Indian Plains hosts two alternative high school programs: one called Grad Academy that helps students who have fallen behind recover the credits they need to graduate, and another called Phoenix that helps students who need small-group instruction and extra attention. The programs serve 100 students this year.
If the school board wants to keep the programs at the aging structure, with segments built in 1929, 1946 and 1964, it will need to spend $1.5 million on repairs. But administrators also presented other options for Grad Academy and Phoenix, including returning the Grad classes to the three high schools, placing the Phoenix students at a therapeutic day school outside of the district, or relocating both programs together to one high school or elementary building.
Board members took in the options with questions and said it's too soon to decide.
"We don't have enough information," board member Justin Karubas said. "We need the demographic study and we need appraisals for Indian Plains and Wheatland to make an informed decision."
Wheatland hosts a life-skills program called STEPS for students with special needs who are between 18 and the day before their 22nd birthday.
But the building also includes the district's food service offices, food service facility management, grounds crews and records storage.
"We are bursting at the seams," said Lisa McSharry, STEPS program nurse. "My concern is the ability to house our students with wheelchairs ... It's going to be a very catastrophic situation when it comes to taking care of all their personal needs."
School board member Cathy Piehl said the district should have taken action already to address the educational needs of the STEPS program, which has 98 students now and is expected to have 152 by 2021.
But Superintendent Karen Sullivan said she's confident the district can make flexible space use decisions to keep the program functioning next year. She asked the board to give long-term direction about whether STEPS should continue to be housed at Wheatland, or if it should be relocated to an elementary building, moved to a new or leased facility or split up among different locations.
Louis Lee, assistant superintendent for high schools, said the first step is to choose a course for Indian Plains: renovation, elementary conversion or demolition.
"Once a decision is made about that building," Lee said, "we can pull together additional information and finalize options for all three programs to make further decisions."