District staff outline $400M-plus facilities backlog, present life-safety bond and sales-tax funding options

The CUSD 303 Business Services Committee revisited the district’s long‑term capital plan July 28 as staff and external advisors outlined the scope of building needs, how past spending has been used and financing options to address remaining work. District CFO Jennifer Porter opened the presentation and said the meeting’s goal was to develop “a shared understanding of the scope of our needs, what we've accomplished, and tools available…to move forward.”

Amanda, a district facilities presenter, summarized the district’s assessments and prior work. “Since 2021, we've invested $38,000,000, but over 400,000,000 is identified that needs is remaining,” she said, describing a facility assessment by Wold Architects, a citizen advisory council review and prior safety and access projects.

Why it matters: district staff said deferred maintenance and aging systems will raise long‑term costs if left unaddressed. The presentation laid out financing choices — non‑referendum bonds tied to the district’s debt service extension base (DSEB), newly available life‑safety bonds authorized under Public Act 103‑0591, debt certificates or alternate bonds repaid from operating funds, traditional voter referendum bonds, and a county school facility sales tax — with sample cost and homeowner tax impacts for each.

Key details and options - Scope and priorities: staff…