CUSD 200 lays out accelerated, three‑phase plan for middle school renovations and additions

CUSD 200 trustees on Jan. 22 heard an accelerated schedule and design update for capital projects at the district's three middle schools from district staff and the project architect.

The district will deliver the work in three main bid issuances: issuance 1 (summer 2025) for enabling work and about 30 classroom renovations at Monroe; issuance 2 (summer 2026) for building additions and related site work; and issuance 3 (summer 2026–2027) for the bulk of construction, with contingency work potentially extending into 2028, Mike Dolter, senior project architect with Perkins and Will, told the board. “The plan right now is for the work to be complete by the end of summer 2027,” Dolter said.

The board was shown a Gantt‑style schedule and told the team has accelerated portions of design and procurement so that the first summer of construction (2025) can proceed on enabling and early packages. Dolter said the team developed prototype classrooms at Monroe to test furniture and technology and will use district user groups to collect feedback before rolling those solutions out more broadly.

Design changes presented to the board removed two small building additions previously shown in concept drawings. At Monroe, the architect said locker rooms can be built into existing commons/stage space rather than by adding new footprint; at Edison, underused mechanical room space can be reconfigured to provide ensemble practice rooms instead of building a small addition. Dolter said those moves reduce added square footage and construction cost while maintaining or improving circulation and adjacencies.

Board members and staff pressed for details on approvals and site logistics. Dolter said the team is coordinating with the Regional Office of Education, the City of Wheaton’s development and engineering departments on zoning and storm‑water review, and has scheduled pre‑application conversations to reduce rework. “We’ve had multiple conversations with the City of Wheaton engineering department on storm water,” he said. He also confirmed the district has begun zoning submittals and expects hearings for relief requests tied to tight site conditions.

The Edison expansion will require the district to ask the Wheaton Park District to terminate a lease for basketball courts that the park district currently occupies on district property so the gym addition can proceed. Dr. Schuler said the park district has been involved in logistics discussions and the district does not anticipate a substantive problem but will need the park district to show comparable recreation space elsewhere to maintain grant compliance for the park district’s prior grant.

Board members asked about impacts on summer programs and special‑education services. District staff said Extended School Year (ESY) programming and the Western DuPage Special Ed Rec Association sessions that had been scheduled at Monroe will be relocated (for example, to Bauer) during construction; the district will notify parents of pick‑up changes.

Design topics discussed included acoustics for ensemble and practice spaces at Edison, keeping visitor circulation separated from students at Monroe, and strategies for introducing more natural light to interior classrooms (options include skylights, solar tubes and human‑centric lighting). The team said an acoustic consultant is on board for theaters and orchestra areas and that prototype classrooms will be used to pilot instructional technology and furniture before wider implementation.

Dolter and district staff emphasized communication and change management. They described a schedule of ongoing meetings with building teams, district user groups, DuPage County and other stakeholders and said the district plans a regular cadence of community updates and pre/post occupancy surveys to gather feedback.

Board members raised concerns about reducing multipurpose space at Monroe and about locking in locker capacity for future enrollment changes. Dolter said the team’s inventory found more lockers than current enrollment requires and that designs include at least a 10% buffer and potential elsewhere in the building for future re‑introduction of lockers if needed.

The board did not take a formal action on these design or schedule items at the meeting; staff said further, more detailed design and budget updates will return to the board in February and later this year.

Votes at a glance

The board approved a procedural motion at the start of the meeting to suspend the rules and move into a workshop setting. The motion was moved by Mr. Paulson and seconded by Mr. Rutledge; roll call votes recorded: Paulson, Rutledge, Wagner, Derpied, Lawn and Sullivan voted yes.