An Excessive $$$$ Plan for New Trier: Vote No

The Trib took a stab at this story. Here's the common sense scoop:

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Our community has a history of supporting New Trier High School; when the school requests money, residents give. Now, for the first time, there is organized opposition to a New Trier referendum. Why? Because residents know this $174 million plan is excessive. The money spent would not measurably improve the quality of education, but costs will increase dramatically. Consider the following information as you decide whether to support this referendum.

TAXES WILL CONTINUE RISING

• Our property taxes have risen while our home values have plummeted.
• Even without this referendum, property taxes will continue rising as tax caps are phased out over the next two years.
• Governor Quinn plans to raise the Illinois income tax rate by a full 50%.
• Taxes will increase as we pay for unfunded pension liabilities on both a local and state level.

We have reached a breaking point—if our property taxes continue to escalate, the desirability of living in our community will decline. Ask a realtor and you will be told that high real estate taxes discourage prospective buyers. Will New Trier Township become a place where only the very well-off can afford to live, while others are forced out because they can't tolerate the tax burden?

THIS PROJECT IS COSTLY

• School Planning and Management Magazine reported in 2009 that, for large high schools (2000-4000 students), the median cost per student to build a completely new school was $28,258. New Trier’s plan—only a partial renovation—would spend twice that amount ($56,000 per student).
• Construction costs for this project average $275-$300 per square foot. In 2007, Naperville built new school facilities for $187 per square foot.

This $174 million plan only covers Phase 1 of the long range plan to completely rebuild the Winnetka campus. In the future, four additional buildings would be demolished and rebuilt, probably while we are still paying off the current referendum's debts.

THE FINANCING IS UNREASONABLE

• Residents are being asked to borrow 100% of the building costs with a full twenty-three year payoff period. This "zero down, decades to pay" mentality is what got this country in financial trouble two years ago.
• With a $174 million loan outstanding, would our credit rating remain good enough when the next mega-project comes along (replacing the rest of Winnetka and/or Northfield)?
• The New Trier Administration has given the public the impression that the project would only cost an extra $248 per year —fixed over time—on a $10,000 real estate tax bill. But it’s not a fixed amount, and it took a Freedom of Information Act request before the Administration would disclose that $248 in 2011 would grow to $641 by 2030.

Now, almost three months after the financing costs of this plan were first made public, the Administration keeps changing assumptions—seven "scenarios" so far and counting. Few understand just how much higher their tax bill will rise. Just remember: "$248" is only the first year's increase.

NEW TRIER'S WINNETKA CAMPUS WILL BE OVERBUILT

• Using national statistics, the median newly constructed large high school has 150 square feet per student. That would make for a 480,000 square foot Winnetka campus by national standards. Source: School Planning & Management 2009 Annual School Construction Report.
• After tearing approximately 300,000 of existing structures, 508,000 square feet of new construction would be built on the Winnetka campus, yielding a net increase of some 200,000 square feet. This would bring the total Winnetka campus footprint to about 1,000,000 square feet, more than twice the mean national size for a large high school.

THE PLAN IS EXTRAVAGANT

• The plan includes a college-style gym, competition field house and underground parking for the administration and teachers. These are not necessities; they're luxuries.
• Another example: A climbing wall is included in the plan, something few students would use.
• The plan would increase average classroom space from 610 to 900 square feet. Administration presentations have not given any authoritative source for the necessity and value received for such an enormous increase; they just call 900 the “recommended” amount.

SAY "NO" NOW, FOR A BETTER PLAN TOMORROW

Defeating this referendum is the first step toward developing a plan that is reasonable, affordable, and educationally sound. A "NO" vote February 2^nd is neither anti-New Trier nor anti-education; it is a vote against this $174 million plan. If this referendum is defeated, the Board can and should develop another, more modest plan without all the unnecessary frills.

As you decide whether or not to support this referendum, keep in mind that we are building for the next 100 years and need to be smart about what we build, where we build it and how much we are willing—and able—to pay.

LEARN MORE, HELP OUT

To make a contribution, and for more information about our political action committee, visit www.LoveNewTrierVoteNo.org.

For more facts, analysis and documentation, visit our "sister" organization, New Trier Choices, at www.NewTrierChoices.org.