District 88 outlines bond plan to fund safety, accessibility and CTE upgrades while aiming for 'no net tax rate increase'

DuPage High School District 88 Superintendent Dr. Jean Barbinente said the district is considering a bond proposal for the November ballot to fund upgrades at Addison Trail and Willowbrook high schools, including expanded campus cameras, improved interior and exterior doors, ADA accessibility work and new equipment for career and technical education programs. Barbinente said the architects’ review identified just over $130 million in prioritized projects and that the district is exploring structuring the new bonds so there is “no net tax rate increase” to local property owners.

The district is emphasizing safety and security as the top priorities, Barbinente said, and that work would include technology to support emergency response and upgrades recommended in consultation with Addison police. She also cited accessibility gaps—such as auditorium and bleacher access—that the district plans to address if the bond proceeds.

Barbinente said the proposed package would also target CTE classroom and lab upgrades. While District 88 sends students to the Technology Center of DuPage for some courses, she said on-campus programs such as construction trades and auto technology have grown and require new equipment to align students’ training with employer expectations. “We had state champions out of the autos program this past year,” Barbinente said, noting students earn college credit and industry credentials in those programs.

The superintendent provided several figures the district is using to explain benefits: the architects identified a prioritized project list of roughly $130 million; the district reports students earned more than 6,000 college credits last year across offerings that include AP and dual-credit courses, and said that translated to about $2.6 million in college savings for families. Barbinente also described District 88’s physical footprint as large—calling out more than 13 acres and about 1.1 million square feet of facilities needing ongoing maintenance.

On timing, Barbinente said the board must adopt the ballot question before Aug. 17 to place it on the November ballot and that the board is likely to take action at its Aug. 10 meeting if it moves forward. She cautioned that the ballot summary itself will not state “no tax increase,” so the district is sharing materials and outreach saying the planned bond size would offset retiring referendum debt to keep the tax rate roughly stable over a 20-year repayment period.

Barbinente said routine maintenance and emergency repairs would continue if voters reject the bond, but many of the larger upgrades—particularly equipment-intensive CTE renovations—would need to be reprioritized or delayed. She also described the district’s fiscal safeguards, including a fund-balance policy that seeks to keep reserves above 30% of operating expenses and a positive credit standing referenced in the interview as a “double A1” rating from Moody (as stated by the superintendent).

For residents seeking more information, Barbinente directed people to dupage88.net/proposal for FAQs, videos, mailers and multilingual materials, and named Danny Brink as the district’s director of community relations for outreach requests. She said the district has hosted tours and meetings across its communities and invited groups to request presentations. The district asked volunteers to share factual materials and emphasize the core message that the board is considering a bond option that would not increase the net tax rate.

The board has not adopted any ballot language or taken formal action; if it does move forward, the next procedural step is the board vote to place the question on the ballot before Aug. 17.