From the Superintendent's Corner: School Bonds & Transportation Survey

The Board of Education typically meets twice a month – once in a work session, and a second meeting for monthly business. However, those meetings don’t provide enough time for strategic planning or discussion around systemic change. As a result, once or twice a year the Board will meet for a full day. Recently, the Board met on a Saturday to follow up on progress of the phase 1 projects related to the April 2023 bond referendum and receive an update on the Transportation Study, including potential changes to school start times.  

In the most recent edition of the  District #7 Digest, which you should have received in your mailboxes this week, we provided an update on the financial aspects of the $100 million bond referendum, as well as the other building projects being paid through debt certificates, Health and Life Safety Bonds, and the district’s Operations and Maintenance Fund.  

During the retreat, the Board discussed the complexity of school construction bonds, and to help clarify (to the best of my ability), here’s a quick explanation: 

In April 2023, voters approved the issuance of up to $100 million in construction bonds for phase 1 projects (with no tax increase), including safe and secure entries, construction and renovation of Lincoln Middle, commons expansion at EHS, asbestos abatement and renovation at Hamel Elementary and moisture mitigation at Midway Elementary.  The district also planned phase 2 projects (completed if money remains) which included the EHS media center. 

To complete phase 1 projects, the district issued bonds totaling $89,330,000, but received $10,670,000 additional dollars in bond premiums, totaling $100 million. Since the issued bonds have been invested, District #7 has been able to spend over $107 million on the phase 1 projects. During the retreat, the Board was presented with an option to issue the remaining $10,670,000 in bond indebtedness as an extension of the original $100 million authorized under the approved referendum which would leave the district with approximately $118 million (bonds, premiums and interest) to spend in capital improvements – all without negatively impacting the portion of the tax rate focused on debt and maintaining the commitment to the debt service rate being below $0.79. The debt service tax rate for FY25 is $0.77.  

By issuing $10,670,000 in additional bonds, scheduled for this spring, we will be able to support the design and construction of a phase 2 project, a new media center for Edwardsville High School, located immediately north of the Commons expansion.  

The second focus of the retreat was the transportation study and potential changes in school start times. Decades of research speaks to the importance of school start times and the impact on students from a developmental standpoint, including the American Association of Pediatric Medicine. The research clearly indicates that elementary start times should occur earlier and secondary start times later.  

District #7 initiated the transportation study to address rising transportation costs and pro-rated state reimbursements (both which are outside district control), leading to an unbalanced transportation fund budget. As we create a more efficient transportation system, the Board asked administration to evaluate start times and consider a shift to follow the research.  

Before any decisions are made to modify school start times, many implications need to be considered, including Kid Zone Programming, extracurricular schedules, and transportation. No changes will be put in place before the 2026-2027 school year.  

In the next several weeks, we will be releasing a survey to gather input from students, teachers, parents, and community members to help us better understand the full impact of any potential change and guide our approach. Our priority remains making decisions that best support our students and their success.