District 214 offering behind-the-scenes tours before $295 million referendum
Northwest Suburban High School District 214 will host a series of behind-the-scenes public tours of its aging school buildings ahead of a $295 million referendum in November that will seek voter approval for renovations.
The tours of the six school campuses begin next week and continue through late October, in the lead-up to the Arlington Heights-based district’s first referendum in 55 years.
The weeknight community information sessions will each begin with a short presentation, followed by a brief tour led by building staff, and conclude with question-and-answer time.
In a news release, district officials promised a look at “spaces the public does not normally see.”
Tours will route through boiler rooms, mechanical spaces and building systems, where the envisioned upgrades would be done.
The tour dates are:
• Monday, Sept. 14, at Prospect High School, 801 W. Kensington Road in Mount Prospect
• Tuesday, Sept. 22, at Wheeling High School, 900 S. Elmhurst Road in Wheeling
• Wednesday, Sept. 23, at Rolling Meadows High School, 2901 W. Central Road in Rolling Meadows
• Monday, Oct. 5, at Buffalo Grove High School, 1100 W. Dundee Road in Buffalo Grove
• Thursday, Oct. 8, at Elk Grove High School, 500 W. Elk Grove Blvd. in Elk Grove Village
• Monday, Oct. 12, at John Hersey High School, 1900 E. Thomas St. in Arlington Heights
All sessions begin at 6:30 p.m. and are open to district residents. Registration is requested at renew214.org.
The district also has scheduled two Saturday morning “Coffee and Conversation” events on Oct. 17 and Oct. 24 at the Forest View Educational Center district headquarters, 2121 S. Goebbert Road in Arlington Heights. Those events will include presentations and Q&A, but no building tours.
The announcement of the tours comes as the district also launched a new website featuring a school-by-school project list, tax impact calculator and voting information, among other details.
For example, owners of a home valued at $396,500 would pay $170 more a year in property taxes, based on a 25-year bond repayment schedule, estimates show.
The district-created website doesn’t outwardly advocate for approval of the Nov. 3 ballot question, but in some places appears to respond to critics of the tax-increase plan who have come to school board meetings in recent months.
Those critics have wondered how building maintenance needs — and associated costs in the millions of dollars — have added up over the years. Some have gone as far as to accuse district officials of fiscal mismanagement.
But the Renew 214 website touts a “record of stewardship.”
Officials said a capital projects program has funded annual repairs since 1985, and they’ve relied on operating budgets, reserves and targeted bond authority to address needs as they arise. Nearly $200 million has been spent over the past decade to replace roofs, HVAC systems, lighting and technology, amid other ongoing maintenance.
“That work has kept our schools running. But buildings that are between 53 and nearly 70 years old inevitably develop needs that annual maintenance alone cannot fully solve,” the website states.
District officials also frame their $295 million public ask for new bonding authority as “scaled back” and “narrowed” from more than $800 million on the original project list. They say the number was reduced — and lower-priority projects like pools and main entrance renovations deferred — following a three-phased community engagement process of polling conducted in person, virtually, by phone and online.
Officials say the referendum now focuses on the district’s “most pressing foundational needs”: safety and security, infrastructure, mechanical systems and instructional spaces.
“Our buildings have been maintained carefully for decades, and maintenance can extend the life of a system but cannot make it permanent,” Superintendent Scott Rowe said in a statement on the website. “The community asked us to focus on what matters most and to respect what households can afford. That is what the board placed on the ballot, and the decision now belongs to the voters.”
cplacek@dailyherald.com