Should Gurnee schools ask for tax hike?

Warren Township High School District officials are expected to decide Tuesday whether to place a plan before voters to spend $32 million, mostly for renovations at the Almond Road upperclassmen campus.

Gurnee-based Warren District 121 would ask voter permission Nov. 4 to borrow money for expanding the Almond Road building's student capacity to 2,200. The project, in part, would entail adding classrooms, creating more parking and expanding the cafeteria.

In addition, District 121 officials at a meeting this week mentioned the possibility of borrowing cash to upgrade security at the O'Plaine Road campus for freshmen and sophomores.

School board members are to meet Tuesday to decide whether to place a referendum question before voters on the November ballot. They must act by Sept. 2 to do that.

Board members have the option of scaling back the project list and seek permission to borrow less money.

Officials say $32 million is the upper-limit price tag if board members agree to pursue all plans on the table for the Almond Road expansion and security enhancements at the O'Plaine building.

"This is all options for the board," District 121 Superintendent Phil Sobocinski said. "We can do all of it. We can do none of it."

If the proposed building projects go to a vote and are approved, Warren's loan would offset an anticipated tax-rate reduction.

An Ohio-based consultant specializing in school facility assessments and capacity analysis recommends 14 more classrooms be built at the Almond Road building for juniors and seniors. Another six classrooms would be reconfigured from existing space.

Other work at Almond would include office renovations, more physical education space, a new theater and an enlarged media center.

Warren board member Richard Conley said he's unsure of whether money should be borrowed to pay for security enhancements at the O'Plaine campus. He said it might be better to fund only the Almond Road building expansion.

However, consultant Linda Matkowski of Warrenville-based PMA Financial Network Inc. said District 121 wouldn't be obligated to borrow a maximum amount of money if it gained voter approval.

Warren board member Charles Crowley Jr. said it's a fine line when trying to determine how much cash the district should ask to borrow.

"You don't want to leave yourself short," Crowley said, "because you sure don't want to go back for more."