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Lockport Township HSD 205 outlines multimillion-dollar campus upgrades and approves 2026 levy
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Bob McBride said the district will pursue a facilities master plan that identifies roughly $12 million in East Campus infrastructure needs, additional capital projects for cafeteria/student services and Porter Stadium, and that the board passed the fiscal year 2026 levy while relying on cash reserves to limit tax increases.
Dr. Bob McBride, superintendent of Lockport Township High School District 205, told parents that the board passed the districtannual levy for fiscal year 2026 and outlined a facilities plan to address aging infrastructure across Central and East campuses.
The board is preparing a facilities master plan that McBride said will prioritize roofs, electrical and mechanical systems, athletic facilities and expanded student-service space. "We have to commit to that," McBride said, adding that Central Campus work (ceiling repairs, a new roof, masonry and electrical replacement) should be finished by summer 2026 and that East Campus requires substantial infrastructure work.
Why it matters: The district faces competing priorities: finishing Central Campus projects, repairing East Campus infrastructure (including bleachers, field turf, track surface and pool mechanicals), reconfiguring cafeteria and student services into a multipurpose area, and renovating Porter Stadium to expand community and curricular use. McBride estimated roughly $12,000,000 for East Campus infrastructure needs and said the cafeteria/student-services reconfiguration would add about another $12,000,000.
McBride described those plans alongside the boards approach to financing. "We did pass our annual levy for the fiscal year of 2026," he said. He emphasized the board's interest in limiting tax impacts, noting the district's tax rate has declined over roughly 12 years and that the district has kept personnel cost increases below 3%.
On debt-service strategy, McBride said the board has used debt-service abatements to blunt levy growth: "In essence, rather than asking you, the taxpayers, to pay for our debt payments on bonds that we use to improve our facilities, we're using cash reserves to make those payments so that you don't experience an increased levy," he said. He added the district does not plan to pursue a referendum and intends to rely on available cash reserves and borrowing capacity as it weighs priorities.
The board aims to bring a final facilities master plan to the board for approval in January or February at the latest. The brief did not provide a motion text, vote tally, or details on the levy vote beyond McBrides announcement; further financial details and any formal motions or vote records were not specified in the briefing.
Next steps: the district will finalize the facilities master plan and return to the board for formal approval; residents seeking details on timelines, specific project scopes or tax impacts were directed to await the master plan and communications from the district.
