EDWARDSVILLE - During their regular meeting on Feb. 24, 2025, the Edwardsville Community Unit School District #7 Board of Education voted to approve $10,670,000 in bonding for a new media center at Edwardsville High School.
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This money is what remains of a $100 million bond referendum that passed in April 2023. The $10.6 million bonds were sold to Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, to construct the new media center.
The Board of Education discussed the bond at length before ultimately voting to approve it. Board members Jennifer Brumback and Bob Paty noted that the design for the media center has changed multiple times. They both emphasized the importance of communication to the community about these plans.
Brumback asked if the Hamel Elementary School renovation project is covered under the bond. Superintendent Dr. Patrick Shelton said there is $2 million set aside for asbestos abatement and the renovation of pods, but this money does not include renovations for the gymnasium or classrooms “because currently there’s not a need for that.”
Paty expressed concern about the design of the media center.
“I always kind of feel like we end up trying to go for the ‘Architectural Digest’ version rather than what the real need is and try to make it work for a bunch of other projects at the same time,” he said. “I do feel that there may be an opportunity to squeeze in a couple of extra projects if we truly define what the requirements are instead of trying to define the requirements with regard to how many ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’ we can get. What do we need versus what would be really nice?”
He asked if some of the money could be used on the central administrative office in Hadley House. Shelton reminded the Board that the April 2023 bond money can only be spent on items that were on the ballot.
Board member Scott Ahart said he couldn’t vote for allocating the $10.6 million bond for anything other than asbestos abatement. He also asked if any projects that were funded by the $100 million bond referendum have been completed.
“We’ve allocated $89 million. Can we show one project completed?” he asked. “I can’t vote for this because I don’t think we’re showing a proven track record of completing projects.”
Board member Terri Dalla Riva said the asbestos abatement project at Hamel is going to happen and the Board has “a good track record for completing asbestos projects over time.”
Ahart reiterated that several bond money projects have not been completed. He expressed concern about paying back the bond money and asked what the effects would be if the Board does not use this additional $10.6 million in bonds.
Dalla Riva said that, because of how the bond is structured, the tax rate will not change much. If they don’t draw the $10.6 million bond, the tax rate will drop by approximately 3 cents.
“When you look at it that way, then you’re just like, well, this makes sense to use this funding to build better schools for our kids,” she said.
Ahart said he agreed to disagree because there are still projects that are uncompleted. He said he wanted to table the vote and “show responsible spending.”
Brumback pointed out that the Board only has a few years to spend the bond money, so projects must be stacked.
“Right now, we don’t see anything finished, but based on the timelines that we’ve seen, we’re going to start seeing, in about a year, a lot of things that are finished but couldn't happen that way if we didn’t stagger them or stack them the way that we’ve got them set up,” she explained.
She also noted that every District #7 student attends the high school, so the media center would be beneficial for the entire district. She said she sees “great value” in the media center and has been “very vocal” about her support for the project.
The Board also talked about the possibility of eventually consolidating Hamel and Midway Elementary Schools. Dalla Riva said that the families were “vocal” about wanting to keep both schools open. Shelton said he believes Hamel’s student population will eventually grow, so asbestos abatement is a priority.
“Approving this project tonight then allows the flexibility, because of the way the bond is structured, it allows that flexibility for us to pivot if necessary and, if possible, to address multiple projects,” Dalla Riva added. “If the media center happens to come in at half the expected cost, then there are other five projects identified there that we can take on.”
Ultimately, the Board voted to approve the $10.6 million bond sale to Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, to construct the media center at Edwardsville High School. Ahart was the sole “no” vote.
For a full recording of the Board of Education’s regular meeting on Feb. 24, 2025, click here.
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