The vision for Elmhurst Unit District 205 includes more focus on science, technology, engineering and math, as well as having full-day kindergarten.
It includes a new Lincoln School and improvements to address issues at other elementary schools in the district.
That vision, however, comes at a price and would mean a March 2018 referendum. Just how much money the district would be seeking on that ballot question will be determined through community input.
Superintendent David Moyer said the referendum would aim to address district needs for the next 50 years. He said the needs at district elementary schools, especially Lincoln, 565 Fairfield Ave., would be the focus of the question. Not addressing needs now will cost the district more down the road, Moyer said.
“With a March 2018 referendum, we would not see the money until 2020,” Moyer said. “If we miss the 2018 referendum opportunity, Lincoln will have so many code violations they are not going to let us in the place. We will have to spend $5 million just to fix it and that it just flushing money down the toilet.”
Moyer said pouring money into the 100-year-old Lincoln School can, and will, be done if the referendum fails, but that is not his preferred method of resolving the situation.
“It will cost us $5 million for a 10-year fix. That doesn’t make sense,” Moyer said. “It is not going to help our circumstances.”
Moyer put the cost of constructing a new elementary school at between $25 million and $30 million.
The district began gathering community input through an online learning/sharing process called Thoughtexchange. More than 1,500 people took part in the process, sharing more than 2,400 thoughts. Sixteen stars were given to survey participants to divide up as they saw fit. They could put one star on 16 different items, put all 16 stars on one item or any combination in between those.
Giving students a stronger science, technology, engineering and math experience more than doubled the second-most-starred item, full-day kindergarten. STEM education got 4,213 stars to 2,054 for full-day kindergarten.
“I was surprised how much focus was put on STEM,” said Kara Caforio, Focus 205 Community Engagement co-chairman. “It was a significant percentage of the community voicing concerns about that.”
Moyer noted that space issues were addressed in the last district referendum, which was approved in 2006, but it did little to address the big picture for student success. It was a more of a little something for everyone pitch to get a referendum passed, he said.
“We are not going to do something for everyone to get a referendum passed,” Moyer said. “It would be a something for everyone to meet district needs.”
The Thoughtexchange effort started in November, giving people a window to give their input on areas the district needs to address.
Caforio said said was impressed by the number of ideas shared through the survey process.
“Input from the community and taxpayers is important,” Caforio said. “We want to represent our residents.”
She said the Focus 205 organization will continue to get community feedback on the district’s direction as the school system moves closer to putting a referendum on the March 2018 ballot.
“We are very aware of the community’s feelings that we should be creating the next generation of learning,” Caforio said, “and where our education should be going forward.”
Results of the Thoughtexchange survey can be found at elmhurst205.thoughtexchange.com
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.Kevin Beese is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press