District 518 has launched a dedicated website — 518Committed.com — to provide residents with information about their upcoming building bond referendum. On Tuesday, Aug. 13, district voters will consider a single-question ballot to improve educational spaces and address deferred maintenance needs at Worthington High School.
"Over the last 15 years, the school board and administration team have remained committed to following their action plan, which includes guidelines for learning environments," a District 518 press release states. "District-wide facilities’ needs were identified almost a decade ago, and the school board has worked hard to responsibly address them over the past several years, including using alternative funding sources. The school board’s goal remains the same — address facility needs at the high school with a fiscally-responsible plan, and the majority of them can’t be addressed without a bond referendum."
The August ballot will ask voters to consider a $15.3 million investment. If approved, the school board will use alternative district funding sources to invest an additional $18.5 million in improvements to the high school.
"The school board feels confident the plan best positions the high school to serve students and staff well into the future while minimizing the tax impact on district taxpayers," the press release states."
The combined $33.8 million plan would fund an eight-classroom addition to address capacity needs, renovate existing classroom spaces, renovate and expand the kitchen and servery area, renovate the office and student services area into a student commons and dining area, relocate the administrative area to the north main entrance to improve building security, improve several restrooms, address key infrastructure needs, and more. For a full list of improvements, visit 518Committed.com/plan.
If the $15.3 million bond referendum is approved, the estimated tax impact on a $200,000 residential home in the district would be approximately $4.68 per month starting in 2026 for a period of 20 years. A tax calculator is available for residents to calculate their estimated tax impact. Visit 518Committed.com/cost to learn more.
Residents will be sent additional information over the next few months.