This Elmhurst School Project May Become Much Bigger

ELMHURST, IL — The Elmhurst school system is poised to dip into its cash reserves for a bigger building than originally planned to replace Field Elementary School.

Together with more spending at Fischer Elementary School, the district is expected to spend $6 million to $8 million from its reserves.

This year, Elmhurst School District 205 is replacing Lincoln Elementary. Next year's replacement project is Field Elementary.

Originally, the district planned for Field to have three classrooms for every grade. In a discussion Tuesday, school board members generally agreed to expand the project to four classrooms per grade.

This change is being prompted by expected increases in enrollment at Field.

"For the families that live in the attendance area of Field, there is a significant number that go to private school," interim Superintendent Linda Yonke told the school board. "I think we'll pull some of them back with a new school, not necessarily until the school is complete, but we'll put them back."

She also said an apartment and condo building may be built in the Field zone, so the district wants to be prepared for that.

In a 2018 referendum, voters approved going $168 million into debt for school projects. Even without expanding the scope, the new Field was estimated to cost up to $34 million — $5 million more than originally planned. With four classrooms per grade, the cost is estimated to go up to $37 million. That extra cost, board members said, was worth it in the long run.

Because all the bond issue money is spoken for, the district must use reserves for the extra spending. The reserves amount to about $32 million now, officials said.

"You can either sit on the taxpayers' money and have it in reserves until somebody takes it away from you or you can invest it and make this a more attractive town and increase property values," board member Jim Collins said.

Chris Kocinski said the district built up its reserves for a reason. Even during a crisis such as the pandemic, little of it was used, he said.

"It gives us the flexibility to make decisions like this," he said.

Edison Elementary has been expanded to give space in the district during the Lincoln and Field replacement projects. But board members wondered what would happen with all that space at Edison once the Lincoln and Field projects are done. As of 2019, Edison had about 300 students, making it the smallest enrollment-wise among the eight local elementary schools.

Board members said Edison may be a good place to house the gifted program known as REACH or serve as another site for the popular dual-language program, which is now based at Fischer Elementary.

"It's less burdensome to have dual language at two locations, instead of capping the dual language," Collins said. "Just a few months ago, we heard about a self-contained gifted program that we slated for Fischer. I don't know where. It does seem to make more sense at Edison. There are plenty of uses which would make other schools less crowded."

Board members expressed concern that Fischer is losing its neighborhood school feel. With the dual-language program at Fischer, one-fourth to one-third of the students come from other areas of Elmhurst, Yonke said.