What should Dist. 203 do about its facilities?

This is a great question but in typical District 203 fashion, since they are "World Class", that was approached from the normal expected fashion, giving the community only the truth the district feels they need to talk about. Quite simply the district has reports from their consultants which identify educational deficiencies at essentially all buildings but the district has chosen to charge forward in a hurry on a plan that truly only addresses 2 buildings. To use Mrs Crotty's words from this mornings paper, "To Do it Right" means the district needs to tell the whole story and actually follow the process they said they were going to use back in May 2006. So please do it right and determine what the cost for all 21 buildings in the district not just 2.

It's time for our community to do something brave and reconfigure the entire Martin-Mitchell property so that it provides the highest and best use of this prime parcel in the middle of town. That includes building a new high school, one that we can be proud of for the next 50 years. I have substitute taught at Central and can vouch for the fact that the facility is aging poorly. It is a mouse maze of narrow hallways and has a well patched but worn out infrastructure that doesn't have many years left no matter how much we try to mend it.
It is hardly a centerpiece of a school district that adds so much to our property values. Those who don't want the additional tax burden should look at their nicely increasing property values and ask themselves if it's OK for those values to go down. As in many other financial decisions, often you have to spend money to make money.
And after we have gotten over that big hurdle, it's time to find new locations for the garden plots, Sportsman's Park and the boy scout camp, not to mention any expansion of the cemetery. All of those were originally located at the edge of town, many years ago. Now that the southern edge of town is somewhere down by Plainfield, none of those uses belongs on such prime and expensive land.
Let's face it, Naperville has grown up. It's time for our central city to reflect that.

Whether one likes the 'uses' of the 'prime and expensive land' or not, the fact remains that there were stipulations when the land was given as a gift to the city.

Caroline Martin Mitchel's plan was not to pave over a scout camp site for ribfest parking.

I think everyone should compare this school to a Chicago Public School. It could take on a few more years! Why do taxpayers always have to pick up the cost? I am sick and tired of taxes going up, I don't care HOW much the propery values go up! We all work and work and work and if my property values go up, its about dang time we get something in return! There is a strip mall right next to the high school. I don't think thoses businesses are the greatest, nor of the most necessity that cannot be found on Route 59 or other areas of Naper. Make the strip mall owner an offer and re-configue, fix, and build onto the school. That would be appropriate for tax payers! Start thinking people!!

Obviously, Michelle has not toured the school nor does she have children in the school. If we wanted a Chicago Public School we wouldn't be in Naperville. The people that are thinking are the ones that are voting for a new building...

I have toured Naperville Central and it is highly inadaquate as it goes for Naperville residents. The school is old, the hallways are narrow and the overall enviornment is not conducive to prperly educate our children. We need to step up as tax payers and provide the necessary funds to build a new school...a showcase to our city and where we live. One like the Nequa Valley building would look great in the heart of Naperville and truely put us on the map as THE place to live and educate our children. If you build it...They will come AND our property values will continue to go up. Don't be penny foolish when the returns will be dollar wise!

I am speaking as a parent of 2 recent NCHS graduates. As a frequent visitor to the school I can only say it is a dump and has been for many years. Wake up Naperville, if you want to keep those sky high property values you are going to have to anty up and catch up with the times. I graduated from high school in 1970 in another state (and not a cadillac district) and the school was already light-years better than Central. Great programs, some great teachers, deplorable and unsafe physical conditions. While a great physical plant does not make a great school, a fourth rate one will bring one down. Maybe if there were a few less 100K salaries....

Yes, let's get rid of the scout park, the garden plots, and the sports fields. Let me ask: How many of you have lived in Naperville 20 or more years? While Naperville's property values go up, so do the taxes and with this we continue to lose our long time citizens who can no longer afford to live here and who once had a vision for this city. Now we plow down the old and build the new all for the sake of "progress". Naperville Central needs to be replaced, I agree. But not at the continued sacrifice of this town's charm. Next you'll be suggesting we get rid of Naper Settlement altogether.

I realize the need for all of these repairs and new schools:however, as a tax payer, I am sick and tired of paying higher taxes especially when I don't have kids that use the schools. I pay the exact same as the guy next door who sends his 8 kids to school. Want extra money for schools? Then people who USE them need to pay for this "extra" stuff. It's bad enough I have to pay and don't even use them, but to pay even more for repairs and upgrades for the guy next door ( so to speak) I don't care to ...thanks.

MANY of District 203's building are obsolete. Central and Mill Street School are not the only ones that require attention and upgrading. Any way you look at it, there's probably going to be more tax dollars needed. But many of the older schools in the district, Ellsworth and Naper to name a couple, also need updating. The good news is that at least some of 203's schools have air conditioning. I now live in 204 and the elementary schools don't have air.

Hey former redhawk, formerly redskin:

At what point do reasonable people say enough is enough. I am in total support of the public paying for a basic high school education for all, but the operative word must be basic. Basic in no way includes a swimming pool (only selected as one example) regardless of how nice it may be. A basic education does not mean classes for every possible vocation in the world or fun classes designed primarily to keep the children happy and filling a State tax-receiving seat in school.

I'm really tired of hearing the real estate mantra about how wonderful the geometrically escalating property values are for “everybody” and that the only reason people live in Naperville are the schools. I’m tired of every taxing bodies needs, and everyone of them have ever growing ones, being accommodated and being told it will only cost us pennies a day. By the way, did anybody vote for the Carillon?

First, ever increasing property values mean nothing if you can't afford to pay the associated taxes. Do you understand what I just said? Believe it or not some of us long time residents merely want an affordable place to live and are not fixated on making a real estate killing. The seventies and eighties are long gone and demographics have changed along with our economy. From now on if you want swimming pools and classes in flower arranging etcetera, then increase fees to the users to pay for their existence. Parents are obviously well in acceptance of many fees already assessed and having a vested interest, will not be intolerant of additional, much larger ones.

Second, people have told me that the conditions are not really that dire but if it is your perception that children will be potentially made ill or hurt by playing in this "dump" then I suggest you challenge the school administration to explain just how this was permitted. I ask you, did this institution for learning turn into a “dump” overnight? And please, do not attempt to equate old to "dump". That is a non sequitur particularly for buildings used by students basically on a part time basis experiencing a declining enrollment. Take a look at your real estate tax bill: think there has been and still is plenty of money available for maintenance?

Too many long time Naperville residents are now being forced to sell their homes and leave because of excessive real estate taxes generated in part by the new arrivals. I read almost everyday about the excellence of the Naperville student so logically learning in not being impaired by attending the "dump". Asking administration to better manage repairs and updates, I understand, but calling it a "dump" and suggesting total replacement, not so much.

Mr. Mayor,

If an old time resident has to sell their home due to taxes, then the sadness is more than made up for in the huge windfall they just received because their property would have gone for 5x->10X or more what they paid for it many moons ago. As you said, this is not the seventies or eighties any more. Quit expecting the tax bill to stay where it was back then.

Why don't 203 and 204 build a school together? 204 seems hell bent on building a new school even though the figures show it won't be needed? Build one school and share it or one district could pay the other to educate a few of their students.
If 203 needs some nicer elementary school classes, 204 has a bunch of elementary schools operating at 65-70% capacity and enrollment in K-5 is declining. The Peterson school is still half empty even after 204 closed another ES and moved the children to Peterson. Peterson alone has over 350 empty seats, not to mention the empty classrooms at May Watts, Brookdale and many others.

Thank you for the lesson in basic economics Joe. I’ve paid real estate taxes for forty years so I well understand both their need and their political incestuousness. I live in a small, modest 3-bedroom ranch home which has as you have pointed out, increased in value during the years I have owned it. Yes, I could sell it and make a profit but then I have a problem Joe: just where would you suggest I live? Would you suggest that I move 50 miles southwest to find a home that I could now afford or should I just be compelled to downsize to a one-bedroom condo? All I want to do is be able to afford reasonable taxes and to remain in my home, which I don’t think is too much to ask. It is incumbent of every taxpayer to examine the reasonableness of all their taxing bodies don’t you think.

I understand that taxes increase, but what confuses me is the lack of due diligence paid to implementation of the many projects by the various taxing bodies that spend those confiscated dollars. We must remedy the lack of accountability to the taxpayer and the continual acquiescence to any of the myriad “crises” that just seem to arise each and every year. Our global economy will not support the avarice of old and it would be prudent to insure our decisions begin to reflect that change now vice being mandated in the near future.

By the way Ms. Adams, your suggestion allows for too much logic and therefore will never see the light of day. The school district boundaries, basically constructed from farm property lines from many years ago, have become too political.