Dupage Policy Journal

Wheaton-Warrenville Community Unit School District 200 officials are using the word "lease" instead of "build" to bypass legal requirements to seek voter approval before constructing a new early learning center, Kirk Allen, a writer for Edgar County Watchdogs, said during a recent interview.

"The taxpayers have said no twice," Allen, who also co-founded the group, told the DuPage Policy Journal. "Why bypass? Because they want it, taxpayer voice be damned."

Allen recently posted a piece about the district's plans for its new facility, saying the word "lease" is being used to bypass a legally required referendum. "So, why would this school board and their attorneys be moving in a direction of 'lease certificates' to build a new school?" Allen asked in the post and then referred to referendums in 2013 and 2017.

Kirk Allen, Edgar County Watchdogs cofounder and writer

"Because the voters have already told them no, twice!" he wrote. "When the voters speak, you would think the elected officials would listen but I digress, this is Illinois. It appears the people behind this boondoggle are citing the Local Government Debt Reform Act, section 17(b) as their justification for lease certificates."

The district's school board planned to meet March 14 to consider approval for a plan to issue lease certificates to construct an early learning center on an existing site. The board also sought community feedback earlier in the week for its new strategic plan, Vision 2022, which the district refers to as "a roadmap for the next four years".

In January, the board approved a project timeline for its new early learning center on its existing Jefferson site after receiving a planning update the previous month, according to an announcement on the district's website.  "After review of the schematic design, the board approved moving forward with the next phase of the project, design development," the announcement said. "Design development incorporates the baseline schematic design and moves to an even greater detail on all aspects of the building, including all engineering systems, finishes, site development and updated cost estimates."

Financing the new Jefferson project would occur "through a lease structure" that uses some of the district's savings and issuing lease certificates, the announcement said. "Lease certificates provide a way for borrowing for new construction that allow for debt payments to come from the existing operational budget, not through increasing the community’s tax burden," the announcement said.

The approved project timeline schedules ground breaking in August with the new Jefferson facility opening for students by the 2019-20 school year, according to the announcement.

Allen noted during his DuPage Policy Journal interview that the district's existing building was constructed in the 1950s and "is not up to standards." Renovation would be less expensive, Allen said.

"A renovation will cost money, but not as much as building new," Allen said. "No clue what standards they are saying it does not meet. A claim was made they may be forced to put about $6 million in soon over life safety issues. ... The new building will be up to $19 million and they have not settled on a number yet."

Why the project is moving forward without voter approval also isn't very clear, Allen said. "Good question," he said.

"It appears to be a priority of the school administration, the board and parents of special needs children who attend this school based on input from a lot of parents attending meetings," he said. "This is an early learning center for 3-to-5 year olds with special needs and their typically developing peers."

Without clarity of numbers or the project's legality, how it will affect taxpayers also is up in the air, Allen said. "Another great question," he said.

"Without knowing the final numbers, the taxpayers are not informed," he said. "That is why the referendum avenue is so important. It requires numbers and voter approval."