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Homewood SD 153 holds public hearing on proposed $8 million life‑safety bond for James Hart
Summary
The Board of Education held a public hearing on Oct. 14 on a proposal to sell $8 million in life‑safety bonds to fund a new roof and HVAC work at James Hart; board members were told the sale can be structured to avoid increasing the tax debt portion of property bills and will require Illinois State Board approval before bonds can be sold.
The Board of Education of Homewood School District 153 held a public hearing Oct. 14 on a proposal to sell $8,000,000 in life‑safety bonds to address roof and mechanical needs at James Hart Elementary.
The board conducted the hearing after Dr. Eric Tranberger, the district’s chief school business official, described results from Studio GC’s life‑safety survey and said the firm is entering those findings into the Illinois State Board’s system. Tranberger said the district plans to request State Board approval of the life‑safety project and, if approved, return to the board later in the year to present a bond sale for final action.
Board members were told the proposed bonds would fund a new roof at James Hart and replacement of aging heating, ventilation and air‑conditioning systems, some of which the administration described as about 35 years old. Tranberger said the district expects to structure repayments so the debt portion of property tax bills would not increase as older payments drop off.
The board completed the hearing and then adjourned it by motion; the board immediately continued with its regular meeting. No vote to issue bonds was taken at the Oct. 14 meeting. The administration said it expects State Board approval before presenting any formal bond sale to the board, likely before the end of the calendar year.
The discussion at the hearing also referenced a change in state law, passed a little over a year earlier, that allows school districts to sell life‑safety bonds outside the property‑tax cap and without a referendum. District staff said that legislative change makes the timing for seeking State Board approval more favorable.
Next steps identified by the administration: complete Studio GC’s data entry to the State Board system, obtain State Board approval for the life‑safety project, and return to the local board with a proposed bond sale for final consideration and a vote.
