$84 million building referendum set for West Aurora

Voters in West Aurora District 129 will decide in April whether the district can borrow $84 million to build a new school and fix up others.

The school board approved the referendum Monday night.

At least $17 million would be used to build a replacement for Hill Elementary School, 724 Pennsylvania Ave., Aurora. Parts of the building date to 1888, and it uses mobile classrooms to accommodate its 750 students, according to the plan presented to the board.

Additionally, $23.8 million would be used to install air conditioning at Freeman, Hall, and McCleery elementary schools in Aurora; Nicholson Elementary in Montgomery; Goodwin and Schneider elementary schools in North Aurora; Todd Early Learning Center in Aurora; Jefferson and Washington middle schools in Aurora; and half of West Aurora High School.

In 2013, West Aurora had early dismissals or closed schools for several days in August and September due to high temperatures in the buildings, when outside temperatures were in the mid-90s.

Classrooms would be added to Fearn, Jefferson, Nicholson, McCleery and Freeman schools; a warehouse would be built at the old Lincoln Elementary School site; and a new early learning center, combined with a central office building, would be constructed. Fearn Elementary is in North Aurora.

According to a presentation at the board meeting, property owners would repay the loans through at least 2036.

West Aurora's last referendum was in 2002, when voters approved borrowing $59 million for building work that included the construction of Herget Middle School in Aurora.

Monday's materials did not specify how much the district would likely pay in interest over the next 20 years. But the district may apply to the state for qualified school construction bonds. If it can get money through that federally authorized program, it wouldn't pay interest. The lenders would instead get a tax credit for the interest amount, or the federal government would pay the interest.