Benjamin District 25 holds forum on possible spring ballot question

Benjamin Elementary District 25 hosted the first of two forums Thursday night to gauge support on a $6.9 million plan that would pay for building projects in its two schools.

The school board will decide next month whether to seek voter approval of the plan in the April election. Before the board makes a decision on the ballot question, the district is gathering input through the two forums, a phone survey this weekend and an online version available on the district's website next week.

The district already plans to issue about $2 million in debt in February. If voters approve the question, the district could borrow another $4.9 million in tax-backed bonds.

The plan would not increase property taxes to the district, but taxpayers also would not see the district's portion of their bills decrease as much as if voters reject the measure.

Principal and interest payments on the district's current debt are now capped at $582,672 annually.

The ballot question would ask voters to allow the district to raise that limit to $997,500 a year so it could pay off the $6.9 million in loans sooner - in eight years, said Shelley Clark, the district's business manager.

If voters oppose the measure, the owner of a home valued at $250,000 would see the district's share of their tax bills drop by about $220. That's because the district is paying off existing debt in 2017.

If voters approved the plan, those same homeowners would see their bills decrease an estimated $73 over the prior year.

The $4.9 million would fund projects the district expects to complete in 2018 at Benjamin Middle and Evergreen Elementary schools. Those include:

• Renovations of Benjamin's science labs at an estimated cost of $951,000. The district would add safety features such as fume hoods and eye-washing stations in addition to movable furniture to foster collaboration among students.

The labs have been largely untouched since 30 years ago.

"It's not just that they're worn out, but that we teach science a lot differently than we used to when those were built," Superintendent Philip Ehrhardt said.

• Replacing student tablets at an estimated cost of $375,000. The district's lease that provided Microsoft tablets for students in third through eighth grades is due to expire in June 2018.

• Replacing or repairing roofs on the two schools at an estimated cost of about $1.3 million.

• Replacing or repairing windows at an estimated cost of about $366,800.

• Renovating a gym at Evergreen into a "multipurpose" room at an estimated cost of $278,400. Students would use the space to make presentations and teachers would gather for training. Educators currently meet in the teachers lounge for professional development.

The forum Thursday lasted just more than two hours. At about 5:30 p.m., roughly a dozen people visited stations set up in the Evergreen gym where they could meet with architects, the district's financial consultants and school principals.

The second open house will run from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday in Evergreen's cafeteria at 1041 Evergreen Drive in Carol Stream.

The district teaches roughly 725 students from portions of Carol Stream and West Chicago.