Glenbard District 87 school board authorizes referendum to address facility needs

The Glenbard District 87 School Board recently authorized the administration to proceed with a referendum to assist in funding District 87′s 10-year facility master plan.

A group of parents, students, principals and members of the planning team presented the plan to the board at its Nov. 27 meeting. The plan is the culmination of a process that began in 2022 to identify next steps to improve Glenbard’s four high schools and gather community feedback on priorities.

On Dec. 11, the board unanimously approved a resolution to place a question on the March 19, 2024, ballot to seek voter approval to issue $183 million in bonds to improve the sites of and alter, repair and equip Glenbard’s four high schools, which are between 51 and 101 years old.

The new facility master plan identified $312 million of priorities for improvements at each of the high schools. District 87 is asking the community to approve $183 million of bonds to fund the plan and the district will contribute $129 million of funding from its operating revenue over the next 10 years to fund the $312 million plan.

The bond proposal will cost the owner of a $300,000 home about $4 a week.

“This is an exciting chapter in Glenbard’s history,” Superintendent David Larson said in a news release. “I look forward to moving forward with this proposal. We have many facility needs and we are eager to launch the 10-year facility master plan to address those needs.”

In February, District 87 engaged Wold Architects & Engineers to develop a new 10-year facility master plan. The previous 10-year facility plan concluded with summer 2023 capital improvement projects.

In 2014, Glenbard committed to spending $100 million over 10 years on facility needs. Glenbard exceeded that commitment by spending $154 million over the past 10 years ($35 million from the 2014 referendum) while maintaining balanced budgets.

The proposed improvements will address significant needs. While Glenbard’s buildings are structurally sound, they are old and out-of-date.

“We are committed to ensuring our buildings support today’s best practices in curriculum and instruction. The referendum is a path forward that continues our history of responsible planning,” Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations/CSBO Seth Chapman said. “We spend less on buildings and operations, carry less debt and have a lower tax rate than most districts in the metropolitan area.”

Addressing these needs now allows Glenbard to continue to protect what matters most by avoiding expensive, future repairs, officials said.

The majority of the projects identified in the new 10-year facility master plan fall into the following categories:

• Continue to upgrade and renovate, where needed, building infrastructure, including items such as roofs, windows, electrical systems, plumbing and heating and cooling systems

• Enhance safety and security systems and entrances throughout the district

• Upgrade out-of-date science labs

• Modify classrooms to support current best practices in curriculum and instruction

• Upgrade cafeteria space to provide flexible learning and program spaces and eliminate overcrowding

Investing in community assets is critical as District 87 maintains about 1.6 million square feet of space and continues to demonstrate fiscal stewardship demonstrated by the low amount of the total budget allocated toward debt payments (about 2.2%), officials said.