Elmhurst D205 Preschool Plan Questioned

ELMHURST, IL – Elmhurst School District D205 is planning a complete renovation of its preschool, costing $11.9 million.

But school board members on Wednesday questioned the plan for Madison Early Childhood Center, 130 W. Madison St.

At a finance committee meeting, member Jim Collins wondered whether it would be better financially to rebuild rather than renovate.

He also suggested Edison Elementary School, which he said had extra space, be considered as the new home for the preschool.

In response, Todd Schmidt, the district's director of facilities, said it would be considerably more costly to rebuild. He said that with the renovations, the building's life would be extended by another 50 years at least.

Schmidt also said the district has already invested a lot into the Madison building.

Collins said Lincoln and Field elementary schools, which were recently rebuilt, are expected to last a century.

"I'm trying to ask the questions we're supposed to ask to make sure the community gets the best value for their dollar over the next four generations," he said. "I just want to make sure we're thinking about possibilities."

The plan includes one more classroom in the school. But member Courtenae Trautmann said she would like to see more space, given the school's waiting list.

She said it appeared the school could add three more classrooms.

"We're talking about student success long-term. How do we start that from the get-go? The right way to do it is to start at Madison," Trautmann said. "This is the perfect opportunity if we are going to undergo this renovation."

Board President Athena Arvanitis said the board could always consider additions for Madison later.

But Trautmann said she didn't want to wait two or three years and then determine Madison needs to expand.

"That isn't financially responsible," she said.

Schmidt said the administration would take another look at the Madison plan.

Under its current schedule, the district aims to open bids for Madison in late November and have the board vote on the winning bidder a month later.

The Madison project is expected to last from June 2024 to August 2025.

Madison's enrollment is about 260 students.