Endorsements: Yes to replace aging Childhood Center in District 200

We believe Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 needs to replace its Jefferson Early Childhood Center, an aging, outdated and inadequate facility serving roughly 280 students - 60 percent of whom have physical, mental or behavioral disabilities requiring early intervention. We thought so in 2013 when voters rejected a tax increase to replace the facility built as an elementary school in 1958 and we thought so last year when voters rejected another tax hike to improve buildings across the district. The latest proposal calls for a Utah-based bank to front roughly $15 million for the project and the district to lease the building for 20 years while paying the bank $1 million a year out of its operating fund. There would be no tax increase.

District 200's problem is a failure to build trust with the community. It was prepared to use this funding plan to break ground on a new Jefferson in August - without asking voters. A resident's lawsuit stopped those plans in their tracks and forced the district to put the question on the Nov. 6 ballot.

It's sad that the district still struggles to make its case for a building that is so clearly needed and that such a failure could doom this project for a third time.

Still, we believe a new Jefferson is and should be a priority. We hope voters don't punish the youngest and most vulnerable among us for the mistakes of their elders.

We recommend a yes vote on the referendum.