SVE’s plans to grow move forward

SPRING VALLEY — Spring Valley Elementary’s plans to expand continue to move forward.
In a public hearing last week concerning the intent of the school district to sell funding bonds, no members of the public spoke against the issue, and the special hearing was attended by only two teachers.

The purpose of the bonds is to pay the debt certificates issued to build an addition to John F. Kennedy School. It is anticipated that the tax rate will remain essentially unchanged as the new bond will replace a working cash bond that is being paid in December of 2009. The first levy for the new bond will be done in December 2009 and be on the tax bills in the spring.

In April, the board declared its intent to issue $5.1 million in funding bonds for the construction of a new addition to the Kennedy school facility. Enrollment is on an upswing in the district, increasing by more than 100 students since 2006, and projected to add an additional 100 students during the next three years.

There’s a possible twist to the issue, though.

Outgoing Superintendent Dan Marenda told the board Gov. Pat Quinn’s failure to sign the Capital Bill and the funding legislation for that bill has slowed down the progress of the building addition project. Marenda said that if the bill is signed, and he added most legislators seem to think it will be, Spring Valley would be able to build an addition of about $14,000,000 instead of the currently proposed addition. This addition would include a new, up-to-date gymnasium as well as classrooms, special area classrooms, media center, offices and possibly an auditorium.

According to Marenda, the grant index, the formula the state uses to determine funding, puts Spring Valley eligible for 72 percent state funding. Based on this formula, the local share of the addition would be about $3.5 million.

“This is an excellent opportunity for the district to take care of its facility needs for a number of generations,” Marenda said.

The board approved several actions to move forward with the project, including employing Allied Design as architect for the addition, authorizing the architect to prepare a topographic/site/utility survey of the existing school site and the property on which the addition will be located, and authorizing the architect to employ the services of a civil engineer.