Dist. 200 urges residents to attend final meeting about facilities

Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 officials are stressing the importance of having as many residents as possible next week at the district's fourth and final community engagement session about facilities.

"We just want to make sure that people are aware of what we're working on, so that as the master facility plan comes to the board and as they prioritize those items and bring a plan back to the community, I don't want it to be a surprise to the community," Superintendent Jeff Schuler said. "We're doing everything we can to be as transparent and open with the options we're considering and we want the community to be educated on it."

The session, which begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Monroe Middle School, 1855 Manchester Road in Wheaton, will give residents an opportunity to review final options and discuss potential costs for improvements at each school that could be included in the plan.

Schuler said the event will be set up similar to a science fair, with visual displays at tables around the room, each dedicated to a different school. Attendees will have an opportunity to stop by as many tables as they like to take a look at the proposed plans and costs, ask questions and offer feedback.

Additionally, short presentations will be taking place throughout the night in separate rooms about some of the more intricate plans. Jefferson Early Childhood Center and Edison, Franklin and Monroe middle schools will be the focus of some of those presentations, since they need the most work.

"Jefferson has been a major focus from the start," Schuler said. "It's got a pretty detailed concept. And I think what's emerged out of the master facility planning process are some more detailed changes at the three others."

Attendees can attend discussions on districtwide themes, too, such as improving library learning centers, creating more secure entrances, updating classroom furniture and conducting routine maintenance such as roof and window replacements.

"I think anybody who has been at the other three sessions certainly will find value and new information at this one," Schuler said. "If you haven't been able to get to any of them and are concerned that you may be a little bit lost, I think we've structured this so you can quickly get up to speed. This is a session we want everyone to be at."

In January, the board of education was presented with four funding options for the master facility plan. They include using existing fund balance money, using future operating and maintenance dollars, issuing non-referendum bonds and putting a referendum question on the ballot to ask for voter approval to sell bonds.

"Those were presented to the board to begin to make sure the board is thinking about and aware of the options that are available to them," Schuler said. "Those four options are also not necessarily mutually exclusive, meaning they can be used in combination."

Perkins+Will, a firm hired last summer by the school board to create the master facilities plan, will take into account the public input that is gathered at the four community engagement sessions before formulating the plan, which is scheduled to be presented to the board on April 13.