D86 Board Identifies Pressing Needs from the Master Facilities Plan

Submitted by Hinsdale Township High School District 86.

Hinsdale, IL - The Hinsdale Township High School District 86 Board of Education last night approved the recommendation from the Facilities Committee that identified the projects that needed to be built to meet the most important, pressing needs of the District.

After narrowing the list from the Master Facilities Plan (MFP) adopted in January 2016 — a culmination of 14 months of analysis conducted by over 140 people consisting of students, parents, community members, staff, and Board members who met in over 80 meetings across 15 functional teams — the Board identified projects that total $94.2 million, down $36.5 million from the original, comprehensive plan valued at $130.7 million.

After adopting the 2016 MFP, the Facilities Committee began work to determine which projects were most needed. Over several meetings, the Facilities Committee worked diligently to refine that list examining the cost and scope of each project while aiming to maximize the benefits to as many students as possible in both schools. At the March 14 meeting, the committee reduced the total cost by $3.7 million; at the March 23 meeting, the committee cut costs by $22.3 million; and at the April 12 meeting, the committee again trimmed costs by cutting $10.6 million.

“It took a lot collaboration to work through all the District’s needs so that we could prioritize them and that allowed us to cut $36.5 million from the original plan,” said Facilities Committee Chair Jennifer Planson. “The committee knew we had to narrow our focus to our facilities’ immediate needs so that we could limit the impact as much as possible to the taxpayer. The list of projects selected at the April 12 meeting will give District 86 students the space they need to learn and the tools they need to succeed while respecting the taxpayers who will be asked to pay for it. Now we can move to the next step and bring the details to the community and engage with our taxpayers to listen to their thoughts on these projects. After all, the taxpayers have the final say about the details of this plan.”

Please click here to view the projects worksheet. Future community meetings and the latest information on the MFP will be located on the District website under the Master Facilities Plan tab.