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DC Everest district outlines $81–$94M facility plan and possible April referendum
Summary
DC Everest Area School District officials told the village board they are considering decommissioning the 75-year-old junior high, redistributing grades and pursuing a referendum (tentatively April 27) to fund $81–$94 million in capital work; the district emphasized public engagement and minimizing levy impact.
Superintendent Casey Nye and Assistant Superintendent Kelly Scribe presented DC Everest Area School District’s long-range facility planning overview to the Village of Weston board, describing a likely path that would redistribute grades, decommission the aging junior high, and require one-time capital investments to protect student programming and create operational efficiencies.
Scribe told trustees the district evaluated nine options and narrowed them to three. The district rejected a full rebuild and a heavy renovation (the latter estimated at about $40,000,000) as fiscally impractical given declining enrollment. Instead, the favored option would move 8th grade to the middle school and 9th grade to the senior high, allow the district to eliminate one building from daily instruction, retain key athletic and gym spaces at the junior high site, and add targeted renovations at the other campuses.
The presenters estimated a referendum package in the range of $81 million to $94 million, plus any additional cost if a new community pool is included. They said revenue-timing and a 20-year debt structure like the district used in 2018 could limit year-to-year levy impact, and that engagement (community survey late September/early October, a three-part podcast and public sessions) would precede any ballot question. The presentation listed enrollment at about 5,730 students and said demographic modeling from partners indicated continued near-term decline.
Trustees asked about building ages (junior high ~75 years old; middle ~25 years; senior high portions ~55–71 years depending on sections), how school staffing would be handled (board indicated attrition rather than layoffs), and options for a pool (repair vs. new facility and possible external partners to reduce operating cost burden). The district said it seeks public feedback before finalizing a referendum approach and would share detailed materials via a facilities website and outreach channels.
The board did not take an action on a referendum tonight; the presentation was informational and intended to begin community conversations.
