Despite much debate about spending $235,000 on library renovations at Lincoln Elementary School, the Glen Ellyn School District 41 Board of Education approved the plan.
Two incoming members of the Glen Ellyn School District 41 Board of Education urged current members of the board to reject the proposal.
In a letter to the board, Stephanie Clark and Kurt Buchholz, who will be sworn in come May, said the overhaul of the learning media center at Lincoln should be postponed for at least a year because the need is not immediate.
They also said the renovations should wait in case residents do not support a bond referendum to build a new school for full-day kindergarten, and the library space is then needed for new classrooms.
“To spend $235,000 renovating this space now eliminates potential options for future construction,” they said in the letter. “In the end, to put money into a learning center that isn’t an immediate need when we haven’t outlined a long-term plan for full-day kindergarten and space is poor long-term planning. It is going to limit future space utilization.”
But after Linda Schweikhofer, Lincoln’s principal, detailed the need for the library renovations, the board approved the expenditure 4-2, with President John Kenwood and Vice President Drew Ellis opposing.
The proposed renovations to the Lincoln library include removal of the computer lab, new carpeting, furniture, and the installation of cubbies for coats and shoes. Costs include $150,000 for demolition and construction, $55,000 for furnishings and $30,000 for the cubbies.
Kenwood, the outgoing board president who will take a seat on the village Board of Trustees, also was skeptical of the need for renovations. Like Clark and Buchholz, he wanted to preserve the space in case it was needed for new kindergarten demands. He said space at Lincoln is limited and the open area of the library is too precious to lose.
“I worry if we don’t end up doing something at Spalding (the possible site for a new school), and we have to come back to the buildings, we will have lost that space,” he said.
If voters do reject a referendum, which would not be on the ballot until 2016, district architects said there is still usable space for new kindergarten classrooms on the west side of the school building. Adding to that, Superintendent Paul Gordon said putting new classrooms in the library space would mean additional costs to move the contents of the library to the western side of the school.
Bob Ciserella, the district’s assistant superintendent for finance, said if the board put the project on the backboard, that would delay orders for new furniture. That would likely mean the space would not be completed before students returned in the fall, he said.
Board member Erica Long, who will be back for a third term after the April 7 elections, said the expenditure was a wise use of district funds because it will have a near immediate impact on education and learning at the school because of the high number of students who use that facility throughout the day.
Board member Dean Elger criticized what he called the “analysis paralysis,” which has prevented the district from taking much action to address facilities needs. He said the board was elected to make decisions and not delay them for future boards to debate.
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“We can be here 10 years from now and still be talking about this,” he said. “This is well within our budget. These spaces are important, and it’s our job to make decisions and not to defer everything for the next 25 years. If we can fix this library space now, we should fix it.”
Keown is a freelance reporter for the baiduhai.