Indian Prairie outlines phased $466 million facility program; Waubonsee Valley gets multi-year overhaul

Indian Prairie School District 204 presented a multi-year plan June 9 to renovate high-priority facilities across the district, starting with a phased overhaul of Waubonsee Valley High School.

District staff said the referendum voters approved in November covered $420 million; the district’s total program budget across nine major projects is $466 million, with the difference to be covered by investment earnings, premiums and local capital contingencies. Administrators said budgets include escalation for inflation and contingency planning.

The presentation emphasized safety and equity. District presenters said secure vestibules will be installed at 11 elementary schools this summer, another set of schools next summer, and all buildings will complete security upgrades before the 2027–28 school year. At Waubonsee Valley, the plan calls for a new secure main entrance and vestibule, reconfigured main office for greater visibility, an expanded commons and dining area, circulation improvements, daylighting for interior classrooms and a new “ring road” connecting north and south parking lots to ease event traffic. Stadium work includes a new turf field sized to accommodate soccer as well as football, reoriented bleachers and a new concessions building.

Architects and the Waubonsee principal described an auditorium project already under construction, with crews removing old seating and adding accessible entry and a new sound booth; the district said the auditorium should be available for fall and winter events this school year. Presenters described a phased timeline that stages most renovation work in summers to limit in-school disruption and listed a conservative schedule spanning into 2029 for remaining phases at Waubonsee. Officials said the district is working with construction managers to assess opportunities to accelerate parts of the schedule and reduce cost.

Administrators stressed the district’s equity goal: to bring greater parity across the three high schools by addressing safety and operational inefficiencies at each campus. They also noted the district completed a prior “50 for 50” capital reinvestment program and that much of the current work follows the master facility plan the board adopted in December 2023.

Board members asked about site trees, traffic impacts and whether the budget-to-date will be made available to the public; administrators said staff will post project narratives and renderings on the district’s SaferStrong204 materials and work toward an interactive construction dashboard to summarize timelines and spending.

The district presenters on Waubonsee were Amy Tayberry and Jason Stipp with architects and district construction staff; the board discussion included questions from board members including Mr. Karubas and President Donahue. The board did not take action on the plan at the June 9 meeting; the presentation served as an update and preview of upcoming construction.