'When Investing in Education Really Means Creating Lavish Amenities'

Letter to the editor by Chris Frank.

One can never underestimate the ability for the Hinsdale District 86 district to dream new ways of spending money.

The district recently rolled out an updated 10-year Master Facility Plan for Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South high schools with a price tag exceeding $150 million. The update is intended to address safety issues, alleviate overcrowding, and enrich the student experience.

But, a close examination of the plan indicates that it creates an Apple-like utopian campus at taxpayer expense. The wish-list includes an athletic complex that would make Lifetime Fitness envious - featuring an Olympic swimming pool and aquatics area (no lazy river though), wrestling, gymnastics, and dance areas- a cryptic “Google Garage” lab, a tricked-out cafeteria, common spaces so students can collaborate (or text and Snapchat), outdoor classrooms “to engage students in a varied learning environment” and classrooms incorporating the latest advancements in decoration, color, and natural lighting.

Fortunately, a day spa and gelato bar are not in the budget.

What is clearly missing is an analysis from comparable projects completed at New Trier, Oak Park-River Forest, and York high schools on whether pouring huge sums of money into creating more handsome facilities increases learning outcomes, boosts test scores, and produces state championships. The District 86 board has an obligation to perform a rigorous “return-on-education” analysis and communicate its findings to the community. Considering that Hinsdale Central is the #10 ranked high school in Illinois, does it make sense to potentially spend over $150 million to move up to #9?