Elmhurst D205 Overruns Mean Big Transfers

ELMHURST, IL – With about $20 million in cost overruns in building projects, Elmhurst School District 205 is poised to transfer $7 million from its main educational account.

At a meeting Tuesday, the school board is set to hold the required public hearing for the transfer and then vote on moving the money. It plans two more $7 million transfers after that.

The board has known for more than a year that it would exceed the $168 million it planned to spend on projects. In 2018, voters allowed the district to go into debt by that amount.

The two biggest projects have been the replacement of Lincoln and Field elementary schools, the two oldest.

Many of the overruns have been because the board expanded the scope of projects. For instance, the board decided to increase the size of its Field project by a third. Field is expected to be completed by the start of next school year.

Another big scope expansion is a six-classroom addition at Conrad Fischer Elementary School, the result of increased program enrollment.

At Jackson Elementary, the board added a media center and two classrooms to the plan.

The district said the first $7 million transfer was planned for more than a year and included in five-year financial projections. Officials have long said they would dip into the district's bank accounts for the rest of the money.

Elmhurst District 205 is not alone in its overruns. In April 2019, Hinsdale High School District 86 voters approved going into debt by $140 million for projects. That number is now expected to reach $166 million, or nearly 20 percent over the original plan.

District 205's overruns are now set to reach about 12 percent over the initial budget.