New Trier Bond Issue Headed for Passage

Voters in New Trier School District 203 approved an $89 million bond issue to renovate and equip buildings on the Winnetka high school campus, with all precincts reporting Tuesday. The vote was 16,006 yes to 8,601 against, according to unofficial results tabulated by the Cook County Board of Elections. 

The borrowing will help pay for what is expected to be a $100 million renovation. Homeowners will see about a 1.7 percent increase on their property taxes, on average.

The plan is a scaled back version of one that was defeated four years ago. People who worked against that ballot question rallied in favor of this one, according to the Chicago Tribune.

This is how the district explains the need, the scope of the work to be undertaken and the benefit:

What sections of the Winnetka Campus would be replaced?

The 1912 Cafeteria, the 1931 Tech Arts Building, and the 1950 Music Building

Why does the District want to replace these sections?

These three sections have some of the most serious deficiencies on the Winnetka Campus. They are highly energy inefficient and in need of $6 million in repairs over the next five years. Two of the sections have upper floors that are inaccessible to students, staff, and visitors with disabilities. The project would allow the school to replace the outdated classrooms in those sections as well as add more than 25 new core academic classrooms and three science labs.

What are the academic, extracurricular, and overall benefits of this proposal?

• • Includes more than 25 new core academic classrooms for math, social studies, English, business, and languages; current classrooms are outdated (the newest classrooms were built in 1957) and overscheduled
  • Adds three new science labs; New Trier currently does not have enough science labs to meet student demand in a nine-period day, meaning some students must take lab classes in summer school or in early bird classes before the regular school day
  • Includes new classrooms and labs for New Trier’s growing engineering and technology programs
  • Replaces outdated heating and cooling systems with new energy-efficient systems
  • Makes the entire campus accessible for people with disabilities
  • Avoids the cost of $6 million in planned repair and maintenance to the existing buildings over the next five years
  • Enhances safety with secure entrances and fire sprinklers
  • Stays on the same footprint of land while doubling the amount of usable building space on that part of the campus
  • Includes a new library and new spaces for the music, theatre, and art programs
  • Replaces the 1912 cafeteria with one that can seat all students assigned each period
  • Adds underground stormwater detention vaults at the Winnetka Campus to greatly reduce water runoff in the neighborhood. For more information, click here.