Built in 1975, Waubonsie Valley High School is one of the oldest school buildings in Indian Prairie District 204. School board members have approved going to a referendum in November to secure funding for building improvements.
Daily Herald file photo
Voters in Indian Prairie School District 204 in November will decide if the district can secure $420 million in bonds to pay for various building improvements.
School board members Monday approved moving ahead with a November referendum asking voters for 37 cents for every $100 of assessed value to fund the improvements.
School board President Laurie Donahue said the request is “tax neutral” because the new bond debt would replace retiring debt from 2006 — the year voters approved bonds to build Metea Valley High School.
Currently, the owner of a $250,000 home pays roughly $275 a year to repay the old bonds.
If approved, the district says it would make improvements at each of its 33 school buildings. Renovations include changes to school entrances to improve security, replacing aging infrastructure such as heating and cooling systems or roofing and improving energy efficiency.
“Every single one of our buildings will be impacted if this referendum is approved,” Donahue said.
Four schools — Waubonsie Valley and Neuqua Valley high schools and Gregory and Hill middle schools — would undergo the most extensive renovations. In addition, the district plans to repurpose the Birkett Freshmen Center and move freshmen back into Neuqua Valley High School.
Work at some of those schools could begin in the summer of 2026. Shipley said it would take about five years to complete all the improvements at the four schools.
Donahue said the district would also decommission and sell the Wheatland and Indian Plains school buildings.
At Monday’s meeting, district officials noted that maintenance projects have been put off for years in lieu of other operational needs, such as staffing. Half the district’s buildings are more than 35 years old and in need of major repairs.
“We are now at a point where we see some of the challenges and needs really rise to a point where they need to be addressed,” said Matt Shipley, chief school business officer. “We cannot continue to defer maintenance any longer.”
A committee to advocate for the referendum will be formed, but details about the committee were not yet available Tuesday.