A $110 million construction bond referendum will be voted on by DeKalb residents on the Feb. 5, 2008 primary ballot.

The DeKalb School Board voted to include the referendum on the ballot during an open meeting Saturday.

If the referendum passes in February, the money will fund the construction of a new high school, a new elementary school and the repurposing or conversion of several other schools in the district.

The construction and repurposing will take place in two phases. The first would take place from 2008 to 2012, which includes the construction of the new, 2500 student occupancy high school, a new 455 student occupancy elementary school, and the conversion of the current high school into the new Huntley Middle School, the middle school into Chesebro Elementary School and the elementary school into an early childhood center.

The proposed high school would use about $88.5 million of the potentially available $110 million. The new elementary school would cost about $15.5 million, according to the Facilities Planning Committee’s presentation.

The second phase of the plan, slated to take place between 2012 and 2017, largely includes upgrades to various programs and buildings in the schools, both old and new, including the upgrade of all elementary schools to district standards.

The capacity for additional students is a major reason for the referendum. The current high school has a capacity of 1,430 students, while the current enrollment sits at 1,758 for the 2007-2008 academic year.

District 428 elementary schools, with a capacity of 2,880, currently have an enrollment of 3,075 students, according to the presentation.

The referendum, if approved, would add about $22 to $25 per month to a $200,000 homeowner’s taxes.

“It’s still very early to gauge [support for the referendum],” said Superintendent Paul Beilfuss. “We believe we have support due to the positive reactions we saw when the final report was submitted in October.”

$88.5 million of the $110 million would go toward the proposed high school.

$15.5 million would go toward the proposed elementary school.

$4 million would go toward the repurposing of the high school to a middle school.

$1 million would go toward the repurposing of Huntley Middle School to Chesebro Elementary School

$1 million would go toward the repurposing of Chesebro to an early childhood center

Source: The Facilities Planning Committee’s presentation.

The presentation can be viewed at www.dist428.org.