Referendum recap: DuPage County schools win big

Across the board, voters in DuPage County said yes Nov. 5 to funding for school renovations, better parks and a new library.

Taxpayers agreed to pay more for the forest preserve system. Voters in Aurora-based Indian Prairie District 204 overwhelmingly approved a request to borrow $420 million for school improvements.

Nearly 68% of voters in Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 backed a plan to issue $151.5 million in bonds for comprehensive upgrades to Edison, Franklin and Monroe middle schools.

“I don’t know necessarily what informs everybody’s individual decision, but what I do think that it reflects, certainly in our community and probably in the county that surrounds us, is that I think there is a strong desire to make sure we continue to invest in our schools, to have a high-quality education system,” District 200 Superintendent Jeff Schuler said Nov. 6.

The district’s referendum plan put a “big focus on science, big focus on general classroom spaces, big focus on fine and performing arts, on student support spaces,” Schuler said.

The district will modernize science labs and improve school security and infrastructure, including electrical and fire alarm systems, plumbing, HVAC units, lighting and flooring. All three schools will have newly renovated or relocated library learning centers.

“They’re going to get the investment that’s desperately needed and identified,” Schuler said, adding the district plans to have construction documents together by early spring to get the first phase of work out to bid.

Leading up to the election and in a mailer, the district emphasized that with current debt expiring, the plan still would result in a decrease in the district’s bond and interest portion of the property tax bill.

“There’s no doubt that from a timing perspective, the fact that we have debt that’s expiring, helped to inform the story, and it helped to give both our board and our community options in how we approach this work,” Schuler said.

Elsewhere, the Roselle Public Library will move forward with a $22 million borrowing plan for a new library on the site of the former Trinity Community Center.

Library leaders previously sought to replace their existing facility on the same Park Street site. Voters last year turned down that request by only 22 votes. This time, 6,084 voters were in favor compared with 4,839 against, unofficial totals showed in DuPage and Cook counties.

As a result, the district will issue bonds to build a library campus on Maple Avenue, a property owned by the village. Library and village officials agreed to swap the respective parcels with voter approval of the project.

“The community members have guided every step of this project. They told us it wasn’t right in 2023 and we went back and listened more and asked residents to help build the vision for a community space through open forums, surveys and group discussions,” Samantha Johnson, the library’s executive director, said in a statement.

“Losing in 2023 led to the opportunity to do a land swap with the village of Roselle and a better library design. We’re excited to continue working with our residents as we bring this shared vision to life and ensure it serves everyone in the community for many decades to come.”

The new building will have a drive-up service window and attached parking. There also will be spaces specifically designed for children and families, as well as a “teen room where young adults can study and socialize in a space of their own entirely,” Johnson said in an informational session.

The owner of a home valued at $300,000 is expected to pay $179 in additional property taxes to the library district annually.

The design and engineering phase for the new library is set to begin in early 2025 with construction projected to start in 2026.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20241106/news/referendum-recap-dupage-county-schools-win-big/