Dist. 303 must be more accountable

I am writing in response to Josh Stockinger's article about St. Charles schools' recommendation to pursue a massive taxpayer-funded construction project. How did Dist. 303 allow the schools to be in such a state of disrepair that the buildings require repairs that are almost the cost of a new school? Negligence like this did not happen over night. In these economic times to ask taxpayers for an increase is ludicrous. I question the leadership, maintenance and facilities planning of Dist. 303.

As a Dist. 303 student and daughter of St. Charles taxpayers, I want the schools to be fixed. I want my fellow students that are meeting in makeshift classrooms being held in basements exposed to flooding, inadequate ventilation, and no emergency exits to be relocated to surroundings more appropriate for learning.

The students who sit in hallways and struggle to learn while being exposed to a multitude of distractions need a more suitable location that is conducive to education.

To ask taxpayers to foot the bill of what appears to be poor planning, misguided leadership, and a lack of responsibility, however, is incongruous.

In good economic times, Dist. 303 residents have voted against property tax increases. Instead of asking taxpayers to fund a $292 million referendum to repair or rebuild schools, the district needs to rethink the planning procedures that are in place. In the future there should be accountability. Proper building maintenance should be part of a district budget, not a Band-Aid that is used as a temporary fix.

Alexis Aguilar

St. Charles