District 45 asking voter OK for $30 million for school construction
Villa Park Elementary District 45 is seeking voter approval to borrow $30 million to help pay for a master facility plan that includes building a new early childhood center and upgrading existing schools.
The property tax hike request will appear on the March 17 ballot. If the referendum question is approved, officials said District 45 will construct an early childhood center, implement all-day kindergarten, upgrade technology, increase safety and security, improve STEM curriculum and provide more opportunities in music.
Superintendent Tony Palmisano said the question is the result of work done by community committees, including one that met about three years ago as part of the district's strategic planning process.
"That was the first group that said we need full-day kindergarten," Palmisano said.
District 45 - which has roughly 3,500 students from Villa Park, Lombard, Oakbrook Terrace and Elmhurst - offers a half-day kindergarten program.
Expanding to full-day kindergarten would increase academic and social-emotional learning for early learners and provide child care savings for parents, officials said.
But Palmisano says more space is needed to offer all-day kindergarten. The district also wants to consolidate its early childhood program under one roof.
So District 45 is proposing to spend an estimated $17.3 million to construct a new 12-classroom center and move all early childhood programming to that building. The plan is to build the facility on district-owned land near Jackson Middle School in Villa Park.
"If we consolidate the program into a centralized location, we are able to open up space for full-day kindergarten," Palmisano said.
In addition, the district wants to spend an estimated $7.5 million on renovations and additions related to the implementation of all-day kindergarten at five of its six elementary schools.
Other proposed expenditures include roughly $2 million for safety and security upgrades at all schools; roughly $1.8 million to continue to upgrade technology; and roughly $2 million to create dedicated science labs and new music rooms.
If the referendum is approved, construction is expected to begin in late spring 2021. The early childhood center and all-day kindergarten renovations and additions are targeted to be finished by the start of the 2022 school year, officials said.
"We expect everything to be completed by fall 2022," Palmisano said.
The owner of a $240,000 home pays roughly $2,820 a year in property taxes to the district. If the ballot measure is approved, that amount would increase by roughly $170.
If voters reject the ballot question, Palmisano said school board members will decide how the district moves forward. The board is scheduled to meet on March 18.
Meanwhile, the final informational meeting about the referendum is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 3, at Westmore Elementary School, 340 S. School St., in Lombard.