Dist. 203 residents review facility plans

Naperville Unit District 203 residents got an in-depth look at the district's potential facility renovations at its first community engagement meeting Wednesday at Beebe Elementary.

If Naperville Unit District decides to pursue major facility renovations, it will need voter support through a referendum in February so it has launched a "Touch the Future" campaign to educate residents about three potential plans ranging from $22 million to $168 million. Meetings will be held in all 21 schools through this month and next.

"We want to get your feedback as to which of these paths we should be on," Superintendent Alan Leis said to a group of about 15 to 20 residents Wednesday.

The meeting included a video and PowerPoint presentation showing some of the biggest problems in the district such as the age and space problems at Naperville Central High School and overcrowding at Mill Street Elementary. In addition, the district's Early Childhood program, which it is required by law to provide for young students with disabilities, is spread out over 11 classrooms in five schools.

The district is exploring three potential plans to address these and other district-wide issues:

•Plan A is a $100 million option based on recommendations from the district's facilities task force. The plan calls for $72 million major renovation to Naperville Central, $11 million renovation to Mill Street Elementary and building an $11 million early childhood center.

Under this plan Naperville North's pool would be deepened, outside traffic flow would be improved and synthetic turf would be installed on the football field. In addition, it would fix security issues at Ranch View and Prairie elementary schools and Washington Junior High and traffic problems at Prairie.

This plan would require a referendum that would cost the owner of a $331,117 home $76 a year for each of the next 20 years.

•Plan B would cost between $22 million and $46 million and includes minor renovations to Central focusing on science labs and synthetic turf. The district would still build a new early childhood center for $11 million. It would also fix parking issues at Mill Street Elementary and change some school boundaries to ease overcrowding at Mill. The remainder would be spent on deepening North's pool, adding synthetic turf and improving security at Ranch View, Prairie and Washington.

No tax increase would be required but voters would need to give their approval to build the new early childhood center.

•Plan C is a $158 million to $168 million plan that calls for rebuilding Naperville Central for about $130 million to $140 million. The rest of the plan follows the facility committee's recommendations in Plan A.

This option would require a tax increase that would cost the owner of a $331,117 home about $187 to $206 per year for the next 20 years.

The district asked participants Wednesday to fill out feedback forms on the plans and will also seek input through a phone survey in October. The school board plans to choose a plan by late November.

As a Mill Street parent, Lisa Dorr can attest to the traffic and crowding issues at the school. She is leaning toward Plan A but she said she wants to take tours of Central and an early childhood site before deciding for certain which plan to back.

"(Plan A) just seems like the most ... middle of the road," she said. "It still accomplishes a lot of the stuff without costing as much."

Beebe parent Julie Duin is also on the fence. She'd like to see high quality facilities but hopes the district would be fiscally responsible if voters approved a tax increase.

"I think it's encouraging for me to know whether there's a referendum or not we do have the money to do some improvements, at least the most significant improvements that are necessary," she said.

The next meeting will be at 7 p.m. today at Kingsley Elementary, 2403 Kingsley Drive and Scott Elementary, 500 Warwick Drive. The district is also giving tours of the schools most in need of work. The next tour is at 7 p.m. Monday at Naperville Central, 440 W. Aurora Ave. Sign-up is strongly encouraged for tours. For more information, visit www.naperville203.org.