The school district plans to start its improvements by installing air conditioning in every classroom on August 17.
By Lisa Marie Farver, Patch Staff
Mar 20, 2018 5:33 pm CT|Updated Mar 22, 2018 11:16 am CT
DOWNERS GROVE, IL — Voters in Community District 99 approved a $136.6 million bond proposal and property-tax hike to finance a Master Facility Plan to update and improve two Downers Grove high schools. The measure passed with 61.40 percent of voters in favor, according to unofficial vote totals with 100 percent of precincts reporting.
More than 21,000 ballots were cast. The final reported tally was 13,599 in favor and 8,320 opposed, according to the DuPage County Clerk’s office. Vote tallies were delayed Tuesday night after a voting machine malfunction.
“All of us at District 99 would like to thank the community for its support,” Superintendent Hank Thiele said in a statement. He added, “We are confident that the reinvestment in our schools will have a positive and lasting impact on our current students, as well as future generations of students.”
The district’s first move will be to install air conditioning in every classroom. Currently, 35 percent of classrooms in District 99 are without air conditioning, Thiele said.
District 99 plans to begin installation of the air conditioners on August 17, 2018. Another priority includes creating more secured entrances in each school.Subscribe
The $136.6 million bond issue will take 24 years to pay off and will cost homeowners an average of $65 more a year in taxes, starting in 2019, the district reported.
In a recent Facebook live post, District 99 Superintendent Hank Thiele went over some of the other updates the funds will cover.
Other improvements include improved accessibility, an updated auditorium at Downers Grove South, and improvements to the gymnasium at Downers Grove North.
Thiele notes that some current bonds are due to expire, which he suggested would offset the cost for some taxpayers. Thiele said the project would take four summers to complete.
Image via GoogleMaps Streetview
