Naperville District 203 tweaks timeline for capital improvements  

Exterior image of Kennedy Junior HIgh in District 203
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Naperville School District 203 is tweaking the timeline for several projects included in a long-range capital improvement plan the board of education previously approved. The change-up involves classroom renovations for Family and Consumer Science (FACS) and Project Lead the Way (PLTW) programs.

The board of education on Tuesday, Jan. 7, approved making the FACS and PLTW changes at Madison Junior High School in the 2025-26 school year, which is bumping it up a year, and making the improvements at Kennedy Junior High School in the 2026-27 school year, which is a one-year delay from prior plans.

Reasons behind the timeline change

Several reasons were cited for the change-up, including a top-down look at facilities needs at the Kennedy building, which extends beyond the FACS and PLTW improvements.

“The rationale for this recommendation is that we believe that KJHS presents several unique opportunities that should be considered in concert with the comprehensive facility assessment,” Superintendent Dan Bridges wrote in a memo to the board.

The comprehensive facility assessment, which is to be presented to the board in March, will give a long-range, top-down look at what District 203 administrators are recommending for improvements across school buildings in the road ahead.

It will lead to the development of a long-term capital plan that’s responsive to the facility conditions,” Bridges said of the assessment document at the recent board meeting.

As for the Kennedy building, future facility considerations beyond the FACS and PLTW classroom upgrades include determinations about the use of four existing detached pod units, an outdoor courtyard that is deemed underutilized, and an anticipated uptick in enrollment in upcoming school years.

“Given these considerations, our vision for KJHS extends beyond the approved FACS and PLTW renovations,” Bridges said. “We seek to leverage this opportunity to address broader campus challenges, including the potential removal of the mobile units and possibly revitalizing the courtyard as a functional and useful environment.”

Majority of board behind the change  

The board of education approved the timeline change on a 6-1 vote at the Jan. 7 meeting. Several board members lauded administrators for looking at the bigger picture as they provided their revised recommendation.

“I’m excited that you’re coming forward with a proposal, doing a more detailed design study at Kennedy because that’s what you’re seeing a need for,” board member Donna Wandke said. “I appreciate the fact that we can pivot and adjust.”  

Board member Melissa Kelley Black, who cast the dissenting vote, said she had “significant concerns” about the plans in motion and said she did not want “unexpected surprises” to crop up.

“I appreciate that we can pivot, but … I would like to see us develop a capital improvements plan that has a calendar and is set out and meets some of these best practices,” Kelley Black said.

In response, board President Kristine Gericke said, “We’re not rushing anything. It’s flipping projects, based on going through those plans and realizing there was an opportunity to do something better.”

Part of District 203’s strategic blueprint  

At the recommendation of administrators, the board of education approved changes to District 203’s junior high-level exploratory programs more than a year ago. 

“Changes and improvements over time have included updates to grades 6-8 family and consumer science curriculum and shifts in Project Lead the Way course offerings,” Bridges said. 

Renovating and improving classroom spaces at the junior high school buildings has been viewed as an outgrowth of the curricular and program changes that have taken place within the FACS and PLTW programs.

At the recent board of education meeting, Bridges indicated FACS and PLTW classroom spaces will be upgraded at three of District 203’s five junior high schools by this summer. 

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