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ETHS staff outline $15 million health‑life‑safety bond proposal to fix gym ventilation, roofs and windows
Summary
District staff briefed the board on a proposed use of a new state law to issue health‑life‑safety bonds for major building repairs, emphasizing urgent ventilation work in the gym wing and potential tax impacts under different issuance scenarios.
Evanston Township High School administrators told the board on Jan. 13 they were preparing an amendment to the district’s decennial Health, Life & Safety (HLS) survey to pursue bonds under a new state law that exempts school fire‑prevention and safety bonds from the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL).
Facilities staff explained that the 10‑year architect survey cited more than $60 million in upgrades and repairs across the building, and that the district lacks the capital to address all violations. The presentation proposed issuing $15 million in HLS bonds to address priority items now, with a primary focus on ventilating the gym wing, and secondary work on roofs, windows and mechanical systems in arts and adjacent wings.
Officials said leaders had already completed several capital repairs since the survey — including auditorium HVAC replacement, window work and several roof replacements — but emphasized the gym wing’s ventilation as the most pressing operational concern. The district’s architects estimated a full ventilations and associated work for the gym wing could total about $20 million; staff proposed the $15 million HLS bond to address HLS‑eligible items plus other coupled work that would create economies of scale.
Administrators described the legislative change (House Bill 4582, signed June 7, 2024) that allows HLS bond taxes to be levied outside PTELL limits and said the state has also created tax credits that may reduce net cost. Staff presented three tax scenarios (10‑, 15‑ and 20‑year repayment) and estimated the annual effect on a hypothetical $500,000 home under each schedule, noting longer terms raise total interest costs while shorter terms raise annual payments.
Timeline described to the board called for staff and district architects to prepare and submit the HLS amendment to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and the regional intermediate service center for review; staff estimated current ISBE review queues could take two months or longer because many districts are using the new law. If staff move forward, the board would hold a bond hearing and vote in spring; construction would need to be completed within three years of bond issuance, staff said.
Administrators urged speed, saying construction costs can rise quickly and that tax credits are time‑limited. Board members asked about risks, tax impacts, the recommended 15‑year vs. 10‑year amortization and whether funds could be targeted to equity priorities. Facilities staff said the district is balancing urgency, taxpayer impact and statutory limits, and that the proposed program would be carefully scoped to limit increases to the tax levy while addressing the most serious health‑and‑safety items.
No board vote was taken at the Jan. 13 meeting; staff said the next step would be to prepare amendment documents and seek presidential signature for submission, with a bond hearing and board vote to follow once ISBE review is complete.
