As part of this November’s ballot, SD#308 residents will have the opportunity to vote on whether to approve a $317 million dollar bond measure to support the updating and repairs of district buildings as part of the district facilities plan.
“The purpose [of the referendum] is to invest in our facilities, primarily in the infrastructure… since most of our buildings have now reached the 20-year mark or older,” SD#308 Chief Communications Officer Theresa Komitas said.
Even the best cared for buildings need repairs eventually, and for SD#308 schools, SD#308 Director Operations Ondre Schoensee said that time is approaching.
“A lot of people still think… that our buildings are brand new, and they’re just not,” Schoensee said. “They are showing their signs of age, whether it’s carpet on the stairs falling off [or] daily mechanical breakdowns that my team has to [try to repair] before It has a learning impact.”
Schoensee oversees district facilities and custodial and maintenance staff. He noted that multiple buildings within the district are in need of repair.
OH is no stranger to these issues — HVAC causing issues with air conditioning, inconsistent PA systems, and the drainage issues that led to the closure of the Main Gym last year have caused a lot of problems for staff and students in the past few years.
“When systems fail during the school day, students often feel it first: a classroom that’s too hot or too cold, a schedule disruption, or a temporary move to another space,” SD#308 School Board President Dominick Cirone said. “Addressing these issues means fewer interruptions and better everyday conditions for learning.”
While the district and OH operations teams have been making due with the resources available, the referendum would enable them to upgrade and replace these old systems and avoid having issues in the first place.
“Even though we know all of our equipment is getting to end-of-life, being able to get it repaired or replaced before the end of life cycle actually happens and we have a catastrophic failure is only going to make the learning environment that much greater for all the students,” Schoensee explained.
Even for community members who don’t go to SD#308 schools or have children who do, the referendum and maintaining district buildings will be beneficial.
“Over 250 outside organizations utilize our facilities on an annual basis, so a number of people rely on those to be a source for meetings, performances, sporting events, those kinds of things,” Komitas said. “…Schools kind of serve as that beacon, that central point for communities.”
While the systems aren’t all at a crucial point yet, spending the money now can save a lot in the long term.
“A small roof leak today can become a much larger and more expensive structural repair a few years from now,” Cirone explained. “Addressing issues proactively costs less than waiting for a system to fail outright and allows for work completion at times convenient to the school.”
Having a budget allowing flexibility on when to repair or replace things not only lets operations staff do that work outside of regular school hours, disrupting students less, but it gives them more time to find more advanced or more cost-effective solutions.
According to the SD#308 referendum website, the important thing to remember about the upcoming referendum is that, while it may seem like a huge cost, it’s going to be an investment over time, and taxes will still go down.
“Now, as some of [the previous bond] debt is starting to be paid off, this referendum then brings forth the question back to the homeowners,” Komitas said. “The decision that’s on the table for [homeowners with average, $330,000 homes] is whether [a] full 400 annual savings comes back through the taxes or whether they’re wanting to invest back 300 of that.”
This referendum may prove critical in the next few years as more of our district’s buildings and the technology in them continue to age and deteriorate.
Now, it is up to voters who live within SD#308 to approve or deny the referendum during the midterm elections on Nov. 3.
I'm Taylor Jo Ana (they/them), and I'm a Senior at OH. This is my second year as part of 42Fifty, and I'm excited to be serving as one of our EICs, Opinion Editor, and Editor and founder of our Lit & Art magazine The Muse! I love talking about all things media, literacy, and classic literature. I'm also a member of Quill & Scroll, National English Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, and the Speech Team. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
