Central, South Maintenance Lagging, Even Post-Referendum: Official

HINSDALE, IL – Hinsdale Central and South high schools are still behind in building maintenance, even after tens of millions of dollars in voter-approved improvements, an official said Thursday.

In 2019, 60 percent of voters supported a referendum for $140 million in upgrades. That was a few months after they rejected a $166 million proposal.

Before the successful referendum, residents told Hinsdale High School District 86 officials that the district needed to increase regular maintenance spending if it wanted the referendum to pass, Josh Stephenson, the district's top finance official, told the school board.

Since 2019, the district has spent more on summer building projects. Before, it devoted up to $2 million for such work, an amount it more than doubled afterward.

Comparing the two schools, Stephenson said, Central is catching up to South on maintenance issues.

Board member Bobby Fischer said that even at more than $5 million a year, it seems like the district is not keeping up with its long-term building needs.

"My instinct is that we need to take the good thing you've done and push even harder in keeping up with our maintenance," Fischer told Stephenson.

In reply, Stephenson acknowledged the schools face a backlog of work, even post-referendum. That's particularly the case with the things most people don't see, such as mechanical systems, he said.

"Some of them are in poor condition and need a lot of attention," Stephenson said. "There's still quite a bit of work that's outstanding at both buildings."

Board member Jeff Waters noted the successful referendum was a lot less than the original one.

"There are things, including the boiler, that have never been touched by the referendum," he said.

Stephenson agreed.

"These are fairly old high school buildings that still need a lot of work," he said.