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Lockport Township High School District 205 to pursue $15 million life‑safety bond for Central Campus repairs
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Summary
Superintendent Dr. Bob McBride said the board discussed borrowing $15 million in life‑safety bonds to replace the aging roof, repair masonry and update electrical systems at Central Campus; the board directed administrators to craft a no‑tax‑increase strategy and plans to act March 17.
Dr. Bob McBride, superintendent of Lockport Township High School District 205, said the board discussed borrowing $15,000,000 in life‑safety bonds to address urgent structural needs at Central Campus and directed administration to prepare a funding strategy that would not increase taxes.
The board’s discussion on Feb. 24 followed a multi‑year review of district facilities that began in 2022, McBride said, including a Facilities Master Planning Council meeting in February 2024, a March 2024 referendum with about 13,000 participants, and a spring community survey that yielded nearly 800 written comments. Those community inputs, McBride said, asked the district to prioritize essential improvements, be financially responsible, involve the community and develop a long‑term vision.
The proposed bond would fund a full roof replacement (McBride described the roof as “well over 40 years old and 20 years past its warranty”), masonry repairs to exterior walls and replacement of the building’s electrical infrastructure so the school can support more modern systems. McBride said the work is expected to take two summers to complete.
“We are planning on March 17 on moving forward with that,” McBride said, describing the board’s direction that he and the district’s school business official, Stephanie Croix, develop a debt plan “that would have no additional tax burden on you or any of our community members.” He added that the $15 million would be a single project intended to protect last summer’s roughly $5,000,000 of interior work and to keep Central operating as the district’s Freshman Center.
McBride presented the funding approach the board directed: use available fund balances where appropriate and pair those with life‑safety bonds so the plan minimizes additional tax impact. He characterized the board’s Feb. 24 discussion as focused on achieving the essential work in a financially responsible way while maintaining community involvement.
Next steps: the board asked administration to return with a formal strategy and schedule; McBride said the board plans to move forward on March 17. No formal bond issuance or final vote was recorded in this brief beyond the board’s direction to prepare the plan.
The district released the full calendars and additional details online and invited questions via email and other district communication channels.
