Berwyn South holds bond hearing; resident urges using cash instead of $2.6 million bond
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Summary
Berwyn South School District 100 held a public hearing on a proposed bond sale of up to $2.6 million for facility work. A resident questioned the need to borrow while the district holds cash; district staff said answers will be provided before any vote and noted state approval of certain projects.
Berwyn South School District 100 held a public hearing Oct. 22 to receive comments on a proposal to sell bonds in an amount not to exceed $2,600,000 to pay for alterations and upgrades to district facilities.
The hearing was convened by the board at Heritage Middle School and opened for public comment on the proposed bond sale. The district described the hearing as an opportunity to receive public input on a bond issuance limited to $2.6 million to bring facilities into compliance with State Board of Education building codes and to purchase and install related equipment.
A member of the public, Frederick Sarhut, urged the board not to float bonds if the district has cash available. “If you have cash on hand, you should just use that. . . . It’s a waste of money to issue these bonds,” Sarhut said during public comment, asking how much cash the district holds and what the interest and underwriting costs would be.
President Elizabeth O’Hare Jimenez told Sarhut the board could not answer all questions during the hearing but asked him to leave contact information so staff could follow up. “They definitely will be coming before,” she said when Sarhut asked that answers arrive before any vote is taken.
Jenny (staff member) told the board the district had received an email just before the meeting informing staff that the state approved projects at Piper and Kamensky, which she said allowed the district to move forward with a bond restructuring tied to those projects. She said the restructuring could save both taxpayers and the district money by lowering interest costs on extended bonds.
No bond sale vote was conducted at the hearing. Board members recessed the hearing and returned to open session; any formal decision on issuing bonds will be scheduled later after staff provides the requested financial details.
Public comment at the hearing was limited to the bond topic; district staff said they would provide additional documentation and answers to the public commenter before any vote.