Two weeks after voters approved a proposal by Indian Prairie School District 204 to issue up to $420 million in bonds, the district’s Board of Education has voted on the first use of those bond funds.
Board members voted unanimously at Monday night’s meeting to approve contracts with the district’s architect, Wight and Company, to design new secure entrances for 11 elementary schools and a new auditorium for Waubonsie Valley High School.
“This is an exciting evening for the district,” District 204 Chief School Business Official Matt Shipley said.
These projects are set to be constructed by the end of summer 2025, according to Shipley. He said that district staff will come back to the Board of Education with construction contracts for the projects at a later meeting, likely in January or February.
The first contract with Wight and Company is to design modern and secure front entrances at 11 elementary schools, as well as a full replacement of the schools’ exterior doors and door hardware, improvements to access controls and other related work, Shipley said.
The other contract will have Wight and Company designing renovations for the auditorium at Waubonsie Valley High School, according to Shipley. He said the renovations will include upgraded theater seating, lighting, sound and acoustics along with improvements to the auditorium’s rigging, bandshell and backstage area.
This work will be the first step toward the comprehensive renovations planned for the high school, he said.
In an email on Tuesday, Shipley said the contracts are structured to pay a percentage of the total construction cost. That percentage is 8.75% for the auditorium project, with a budgeted construction cost of $4 million, and is 8% for the security project, with a budgeted construction cost of $8 million, he said.
In total, the district is planning to do around $40 million in projects during summer 2025. Shipley said district staff are already busy planning and preparing for this work.
Several other contracts are expected to be presented to the board for approval over the next few months, according to Shipley. He said those contracts will be for projects to improve flooring, lighting, mechanical systems, HVAC systems, parking lots and playgrounds across the district.
Although voters approved the issue of $420 million in bonds, projects using those funds still need to come before the board, Shipley said.
The district is not planning to issue all of the $420 million in bonds up front, staff members have previously said. The first round of bond sales would likely take place before the end of the year and give the district about $14.5 million, according to past reporting.
The next round of bond sales would likely be for $156.5 million and take place in July 2025, Shipley previously said. Another sale is planned for July 2027 at an amount of $169 million, and the last sale is planned for October 2029 at $80 million.
The bonds are set to be paid for using a continuation of an existing 37-cent property tax per $100 of equalized assessed value that would otherwise expire at the end of 2026, meaning that voters’ approval of the bonds effectively keeps the tax rate flat, officials have said.
At Monday’s meeting, Superintendent Adrian Talley thanked voters for their approval of the bond proposal, which was on the Nov. 5 general election ballot.
“I believe the results reflect a community that trusts us in our ability to use the funds correctly. I believe the community believes in how we are running the schools. I believe the community has a strong desire to ensure our students have the best possible for their success,” Talley said.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
