How did the community group that opposes the District 113 referendum put its own plan together?
First, some background.
In January, the District 113 School Board unanimously approved a multi-phase plan to update Highland Park and Deerfield High Schools.
Phase one is expected to cost $114 million. The district is asking taxpayers to foot $89 million of that total in the form of a bond referendum in the April election.
Have an opinion on the referendum? Sign up to be a Local Voices blogger to get your message out to our readers.
Since the plan and referendum were announced, two community groups have sprung up: one to advocate in favor of the district's plan, and one to advocate against it.
Education First, the group that opposed the failed 2011 referendum, opposes this one as well. The group argues that the district can afford to renovate the high schools more affordably, and offers its own plan as a guide for how that can be done.
Many Patch readers have wondered how Education First's plan was put together. Education First member Sam Shapiro and Education First chairman Frank Pirri recently discussed the process with Patch.
Working together at first
For months after the 2011 referendum was defeated, District 113 and Education First members appeared to be working together on a new plan. Superintendent George Fornero publicly stated his intention to include Education First members in the discussion as the district went about picking up the pieces after the referendum's defeat.
Shapiro participated in the district's study groups, formed of volunteers from the community, to put together a list of priorities the district should tackle in its renovations plan.
However, Shapiro felt like the process was not as open as he hoped it would be. He noticed that many of the members of the committee had supported the 2011 referendum. Worried about what he called a "groupthink process," he eventually left the study group.
"There was a lot of frustration with that process," he said.
When asked for examples of what he found frustrating, Shapiro cites the district's reluctance to reveal information from its community survey as evidence that the district was not being as transparent as he hoped it would be. A bigger concern for Shapiro, however, was a topic of discussion that was restricted in his committee: money.
"Group members were literally prohibited from talking about cost," Shapiro said. "That was a major source of frustration."
Walter Hainsfurther, another member of this committee, explained that costs were discussed -- just not by this group. That came next, with the finance committee. First, the district wanted to assemble a list of everything it would like to fix. The next step was to figure out what it would cost and how to pay for it.
"What we were trying to do was to formulate the best plan possible, regardless of the cost," Hainsfurther said, "and then you put the cost to it and you make compromises."
Steven Narrod was a member of the district's finance committee, which did discuss costs and made decisions accordingly. For example, Narrod told the committee he didn't think the community would support a referendum that would cost $100 million or more. The committee agreed, and the plan was adjusted.
"If the number was over $100 million for a bond referendum, they would have been wasting their time," Narrod said.
But for Shapiro, structuring the conversation so that the discussion of costs occurred after the discussion of needs rather than concurrently seemed counterintuitive.
"If you can't make a decision based on a cost assessment," Shapiro said, "then what are you going to prioritize?"
Going it alone
After ceasing involvement in work on the district's plan, Shapiro began working with members of Education First on the group's plan in April of last year. (Editor's note: Click on the image above for a detailed timeline submitted by Education First)
Using information that included different types of renovations and estimated costs that were provided by Wight & Company, the consulting group that District 113 commissioned for the prior referendum, Education First got to work.
"We got all the detailed Wight costs from a school board member," Shapiro said. "Per square foot, different types of renovations... all of that detail was there."
Shapiro, who works as a pricing consultant, and Pirri worked with a group of local building professionals to put together the plan. Though they praised the group's members for their past work experience, Shapiro was quick to point out that, in his opinion, their professional backgrounds were not as important as their dedication to the community.
"The development of the plan is not about technical knowledge of construction," Shapiro said. "The most important critical aspect of this plan is identifying what you value, what you believe is important."
Because they had such comprehensive data from Wight and Company, which included options for renovations based on cost, Shapiro says it was fairly straightforward for the group to figure out a more affordable plan. They just looked at the options and, in some cases, picked the ones that cost less.
"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to put those numbers together and say, 'Well, if this area is going to be renovated… here's your cost,'" Shapiro said. "What it takes is people willing to make some decisions."
Though they are confident in their work, Shapiro and Pirri see the Education First plan less as a finished product and more as a template awaiting further input from the community at large.
"This is trying to show [the district] that there is another way that will accomplish the same ends," Pirri said. "To try to put our plan aside their plan will never result in an agreement... that is not what we're going for."
Shapiro echoed Pirri's sentiment. He points to page seven of the plan, which states "this plan is preliminary."
"It's a community process," Shapiro said. "We look forward to work with members of our community."
For news about Deerfield and Highland Park in your mailbox every day, subscribe to the Patch newsletter. For more news and updates, like Highland Park and Deerfield Patch on Facebook.