The exciting news is our District’s fiscal responsibility has given us a unique opportunity to modernize our middle schools while reducing the bond and interest portion of our tax levy. The District has been working diligently to pay off old debt. Currently, the District’s last bond and interest debt payment is scheduled for October 1, 2025. As we move toward the last debt payment, the Board has the opportunity to discuss reissuing only a portion of that debt amount, reducing the bond and interest fund tax rate while providing funding to complete the effort to update our middle schools.

As we continue these efforts through 2024, the District is actively working to finalize a middle school facilities plan to present to the Board, based on the community’s feedback. Since the release of the final community feedback report in December, the District has been working with our architects, Perkins&Will, to refine concept plans for each middle school. The concept plans will address all improvements requested by the community while working to find cost estimates lower than those the community reviewed in 2023. Recently, updated draft plans were presented to the board and can be viewed by clicking on the links below:

Middle School Capital Projects Update and Discussion(External link) (presented at the Regular Board Meeting on March 13)
Middle School Capital Projects Discussion(External link) (presented at the Committee of the Whole Board Meeting on February 28)
Draft Communications/Community Engagement Plans(External link) (presented at the Regular Board Meeting on March 13)

Now, the District is working to further refine the concept plans by engaging with a variety of staff members (teachers, support staff, administration, etc.) at the middle schools.

Then, over the summer, we will bring an updated plan to the community for review and further collaboration. As we’ve done over the past year, we want to invite the community into our buildings for tours and a review of the concept plans, drawings and estimated costs. There will be more information on these tours and engagement sessions soon, but we want to provide a few dates, times and locations now:

Monday, June 3 from 4:30-6 p.m. at Edison Middle School
Wednesday, June 5 from 4:30-6 p.m. at Franklin Middle School
Thursday, June 6 from 4:30-6 p.m. at Monroe Middle School
June 10: Public Engagement Session at the School Service Center from 6-7 p.m.
June 12: Virtual Public Engagement Session from 12-1 p.m. Sign up here.
There will be additional tours and information sessions this fall

Together, we will finalize the plan by the end of the summer. If the Board chooses to vote on placing a referendum question on the November ballot to implement this plan, we must vote by the Regular Board Meeting in August.

We hope you will participate in this important community engagement process as we continue our positive momentum.

Community Unit School District 200

Board of Education Updates/Reports

Background Information

Board of Education Financing Discussion, July 10, 2024

Board of Education Middle School Capital Facilities Projects Presentation and Discussion, June 12, 2024

Middle School Concept Design Package Deliverable - June 2024

Summer 2024 Community Engagement Presentation

Board of Education Middle School Capital Facilities Projects Discussion, May 8, 2024

Board of Education Middle School Capital Facilities Projects Discussion, April 10, 2024

Board of Education Middle School Capital Facilities Projects Discussion, March 13, 2024

Final Community Engagement Report to the Board of Education, December 13, 2023

Three Potential Options, November 2023

Initial Community Engagement Report to the Board of Education, October 25, 2023

Community Engagement Presentation, October 10, 2023

Board of Education Middle School Capital Project Discussion, March 8, 2023

Perkins & Will Middle School Capital Project Concept Presentation, February 8, 2023