Oak Park school bonds come under scrutiny

In June, the Oak Park Unified School District will present to voters two bond measures that will enable the district to give itself a $115-million face-lift, but some community members are questioning if the increase in taxes will serve the intended purpose.

The seven-year project--the Facilities Master Plan--calls for an update at all six school district campuses.

Planned improvements include technology upgrades and architectural work to improve the schools' appearance and functionality. District officials are hoping to include enhancements such as ceiling projectors, wireless network access, digital televisions and digital video surveillance systems.

Two bond measures, B6 and C6, total $106 million and, in addition to $9 million in state funds, will cover the expenses accrued by the new project.

Building and infrastructure upgrades will be paid for by B6, a proposed tax rate extension that will increase the rate that homeowners must pay from $140 to $174 per $100,000 of assessed value. Tax rates fluctuate on a yearly basis, hitting an all time high of $205 in 1999. The measure will require a two-thirds vote of approval.

C6 will levy a new tax of $24 per $100,000 of assessed value to finance the districtwide purchase of furnishings and technology improvements. It will require a simple majority vote to pass.

For the average $800,000 home in Oak Park, the new annual school tax could reach $1,600.

Target spending

While Oak Park voters have been supportive of bond measures in the past, some residents are expressing concern that the money will be spent on superfluous projects, not allocated where it will be most beneficial for students.

Some residents expressed dismay at the district's decision to construct new permanent structures for the continuation high school, Oak Park Independent School, Oak View High School, Oak Park Neighborhood School and the district administration center.

District Superintendent Tony Knight defended the school bond spending.

"These programs serve about 250 students and are expected to expand in the future," Knight said. "Currently, all of these programs are located in portable classrooms."

Despite being under the auspices of a single administrator, Lou Tabone, the alternative education centers are spread among the various campuses in the district.

The planned structure, the Integrated Learning Center, will allow the alternative schools to be housed under one roof while also supplying the district office with much-needed office space.

Some parents are upset that a much hoped-for community aquatics center has been relegated to last on the district's list of priorities. The pool is slated for completion in 2014 but will be canceled if funds are exhausted.

"We know that the residents currently support the building of an aquatics center at Oak Park High School," Knight said. "The reason that this is currently lower on the priority list is that we want to ensure that we have enough funds to address the school safety issues and classroom environments first."

Administrators are concerned about the costs of maintaining a pool. And if it were installed too soon, it would have the potential to pull funds away from the classroom.

Another cause for alarm among taxpayers is the district's plan to invest in facility improvements at all three elementary schools despite a declining level of enrollment of younger students.

Administrators respond by saying that the continued operation of all three elementary school sites will allow class sizes to remain small.

"Research supports the concept of smaller elementary schools," said Knight. "As enrollment declines, our projections indicate that we can keep all three elementary schools open with an enrollment of around 350 students each, the ideal size for an elementary school and closer to the capacity that each was originally designed for, without the portable classrooms."

The out-of-towners On another front, the excellent reputation of the Oak Park Unified School District has been attracting a large group of out-ofdistrict students whose parents would be exempt from the property tax increase if the bond measures are approved in June.

While many taxpayers are vexed at the idea of having to foot the bill for an out-of-district recruit, such students bring with them nearly $2.3 million in state funding.

"The parents of students on inter-district permits are well involved in the schools and make substantial contributions

to the schools in terms of time,

energy and financial resources," said Knight. "The addition of students on permits is currently contributing approximately $700 per resident child."

While the thought of paying more taxes is appealing to no one, schools with high performance records and above par resources are capable of driving up local home prices, bond supporters say.

Residents will weigh the pros and cons of the bond measures at this June's election.