NEW! - Watch the September 27 Long-Range Plan Town Hall with Board President Mr. Alex Brunk and Superintendent Dr. Michael Lubelfeld. Download the presentation slide deck at https://bit.ly/3fhwE0k
What is the background on long-range facilities needs?
District 112 has been addressing its facilities challenges and problems since the inception of the District, as a result of the consolidation of three school districts, in 1992. The needs of the facilities are estimated to cost nearly $200 million. This amount is simply too much for any one plan; therefore, the District has broken this up into a three-phase plan. Phase 1 invested nearly $80 million with no dedicated tax increase. Phase 2 seeks around $130 million, $114.4 from taxpayer support with a referendum, and the rest with no dedicated tax increase. Phase 2 addresses the long-awaited deferred maintenance that has left our buildings in dire need of attention. The remaining needs of the district’s facilities will be addressed with no dedicated tax increase in Phase 3.
Due to cost escalation factors, the longer we wait, the more it will cost. In the future, the same amount of work would cost much more than the $124 million projected. For example, when Oak Terrace was built in the late 1990s, after the last successful referendum in the District, it was done at the cost of around $15 million. Today the same work could cost as much as $50 million for the same scope and project. Oak Terrace is still in excellent condition due to the on-time maintenance projects over the years and the major maintenance projects done during Phase 1 (air conditioning repairs, chiller replacement, new roof, site work, brickwork, safety & security work). This will be the model for modernized schools to ensure they never end up in disrepair like the other schools.
Please describe funding plans for Phase 2:
Phase 2 costs are estimated to be around $130MM. The construction costs for the five schools involved in upgrade and modernization are estimated to be $124 million, the district is also investing $6 million in security enhancements at all campuses. The $124.2 million will fund the repair, upgrade, construction, and modernization of Ravinia, Indian Trail, Sherwood, Braeside, and Wayne Thomas. The District is seeking a $114.4 million bond which reflects $108 million for construction costs, $6 million in security (for all campuses). The remaining $16 million will be funded from District 112 fund balance reserve investments. All schools will be impacted by the security upgrades and enhancements.
What are the safety & security benefits of this plan? How were the decisions made about what intervention measures to put in place with the additional $6 million?
The overall safety & security features planned for the five schools to be upgraded and modernized as part of Phase 2 include the latest practices in safety & security. The decisions behind the enhanced security measures that are in place now and are also planned for the future are grounded in the recommendations from the Illinois Terrorism Task Force Report on School Safety, expert advice, and the findings of an immediate safety and security audit done in response to the tragic events on July 4, 2022. The intervention measures that have been made public include but are not limited to:
Exterior electronic door lock sensors & controls
Interior electronic door locking systems & controls
Secure window features throughout
Security bollards barriers
Upgraded Communication systems
What happens if the Phase 2 referendum passes?
If the referendum passes, detailed plans will be executed to begin construction at Ravinia and Indian Trail in the summer of 2023, starting as early as June 2023. Simultaneously, Elm Place and Green Bay schools would be made ready to be swing sites for the two schools under construction (Indian Trail moving to Elm Place and Ravinia moving to Green Bay). The administration and Early Childhood Center would be relocated to another space. Please refer to the timeline added above for more information.
Why is Ravinia School's upgrade/modernization significant in the plan and why is Ravinia first on the list?
Changes impact four other schools. The design plans at Ravinia will also allow the District to resolve long-standing special education & student services programmatic needs and require extensive work to bring the district's oldest elementary school up to modern safety, security, accessibility, and learning standards. Currently, District 112 runs disconnected self-contained special education programs at Braeside and Sherwood Schools, where spaces have been available. Those spaces were not deliberately designed or made flexible to meet the needs of the children in the programs.
Ravinia School will be designed and constructed with student and teacher needs as part of the design process. A recent audit report on student services recommended that District 112 build a flexible and dynamic system of support for students. Part of that continuum of services is dependent upon learning and teaching spaces conducive to the current and future needs of the students. This plan allows the District to impact space utilization at Sherwood, Braeside, and Ravinia. In addition, Indian Trail School currently realizes an overcrowding enrollment situation, and the Board will plan for boundary changes to “right size” both Indian Trail and Ravinia School.
Why is Red Oak modernization not funded in phase 2?
Red Oak is fortunate in that it has fewer physical needs than the five schools addressed in Phase 2 (e.g., it is an ADA-compliant school, it has newer boilers, control systems for its HVAC system (there is no air conditioning, but the newer controls make the system more efficient and effective). The construction and funding planning focused in Phase 2 is on the schools with the most needs first.
Red Oak is in good condition compared to the five schools included in Phase 2. Based on the overall significant facilities needs in the District, the costs to include Red Oak in Phase 2 were too much to include. Due to the decades of deferred maintenance, its underfunded 199os referendum, and the 2016 failed referendum, District 112’s facility needs have grown far larger than the District’s ability to address, fund, fix and remediate.
Additionally, the needs have grown so much that not all desired and needed work can be accomplished on any one funding model. The fact that the District has been engaged in a multi-phase plan since 2018 demonstrates its measured approach to fixing the needs of the buildings completely.
How could the Early Childhood Program be impacted in Phase 3?
For many years, the Board has sought to raise revenue by selling Green Bay School, the current home of the Early Childhood Center. To sell Green Bay School, the Board must find a permanent location for the administration and the Early Childhood Center. The administration has developed plans and analyzed costs to move the Early Childhood Center to Elm Place (with and without the Park District), to Lincoln School, to Red Oak School, staying at Green Bay School, and moving to Oak Terrace School. Based on current plans, assessment, and cost estimates, the administration will likely recommend that Oak Terrace receive renovations to allow for early childhood to be housed at the school.
How has the global pandemic influenced this plan?
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of air quality as never before. It is no longer a debate just if staff and children need modern HVAC systems to stay cool and comfortable. We know the air we breathe impacts learning and can keep us healthy or make us sick. This multi-dimensional construction plan adds modern HVAC systems at the five schools in Phase 2 and at Red Oak in Phase 3. Modern HVAC systems have controls, exhaust, filtration, fresh air, cooled air, and much more. Having the perspective of going through a pandemic has impacted school design calling for open well-circulated spaces that have air quality control and promote sanitation and cleaning. The renovations will also enhance nursing facilities within the schools to better deliver care at school.
The Citizen Task Force is made up of Highland Park, Highwood, and Ft. Sheridan residents with differing backgrounds, professions, and viewpoints. Members were selected by Superintendent Dr. Michael Lubelfeld to ask hard questions, lend their insight, and evaluate plans put forward that could ultimately lead to an anticipated referendum being placed on the ballot for this year's midterm election on Tuesday, November 8, 2022.
Members include:
Jenny Butler, Andy Hamilton, Sara Sher, Eric Gordon, Ken Henry, Elaine Weinberg, Eric Ephraim, Heidi Smith, Daniel Kaufman, Rod Loewenthal, Rosa Machabanski, Susie Berk, Rosa Rebolledo, Paul Miller, Brent Ross, Kris Walker, Jaret Fishman, Piper Mead, and Len Tenner.
LONG-RANGE PLANNING COMMITTEE
The Superintendent’s Long-Range Planning Committee (LRPC) included administrators, teachers, district architect, construction manager, local governments, and citizen representatives from the north, south, west, and central areas of the district. The charge of the committee was to aid the Superintendent in making recommendations to the Board of Education. This committee met July 2018 to October 2018. View the LRPC Informational Packet Provided to All Committee Members
The schools in District 112 have a 100-year legacy of talented educators leading young minds into the future. The 'WHY' behind the Long-Range Plan is to do all we can to continue that legacy. Our WHY extends to the humbling responsibility we have to protect and nurture our students and staff. Our WHY is to help students prepare for jobs that do not exist yet today. The Long-Range Plan is a new vision for our schools, yet the plan captures the essence, tradition, and history of our neighborhood schools.
OUR PLAN HOW
LONG-RANGE PLAN 1-MINUTE OVERVIEW - FALL 2022
Phase 2 Schools
The 5 schools that would receive renovations in Phase 2
Phase 2 - RAVINIA CONCEPT
In the event of referendum passes, the District plans to start construction in June 2023. Therefore, planning has begun for the first two projects, Ravinia and Indian Trail. Drawings on this page are part of that meticulous planning process.
Phase 2 - INDIAN TRAIL CONCEPT
Phase 1 - Modernized Northwood MS
Opened March 2021
Phase 1 - Northwood MS Interior
Phase 1 - Edgewood MS Construction - Due to Open Winter 2023
