Evanston Township High School board to consider a $21M bond issue for air conditioning, other capital improvements

The Evanston Township High School Board of Education held a public hearing last Monday to announce it is considering approving $21 million in bonds to fund capital projects, which could raise property taxes for District 202 residents in Evanston and Skokie.

ETHS District 202 officials said the money would be for locker room renovations, window replacements, construction costs for the studio theater, roofing work, IT projects and updating the school’s HVAC system — among other projects.

The board is expected to vote on the issue at its November board meeting.

The board is expected to decide if the district will  issue $6 million in bonds to be used for the capital projects, and $15 million in bonds said to be for projects related to the safety and welfare of students.

Ordinarily, the school board would not be able to issue this bond amount without a referendum that asks taxpayers, but a 2024 law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker exempts tax levy increases that are related to fire prevention and safety projects.

Board member Leah Piekarz said updating the school’s HVAC system in the gym wing is “not a luxury issue.”

The gym currently doesn’t have air conditioning and Piekarz said the lack of cooling can be a distraction for students.

“It’s really about health when students have, you know, asthma, for example,” she said.

CFO Kendra Williams said the district has been wanting to update its HVAC system for some time, “but just have not had the means” to do so.

With the bond issue, a property with an assessed value of $500,000 would see a tax increase between $39 and $65 on the school district’s portion of the tax bill, depending on the terms of the bond sale, district documents indicate.

According to the Cook County Assessor’s Office, the median sale price for a single-family home in Evanston is $675,000, the median condo is valued at $265,000 and $620,000 for a multi-family unit.

The city of Evanston is also considering raising property taxes after its tax levy has been kept flat for five years. If approved by the City Council during the upcoming budget season, the levy increases for the city and the public library could increase the average total property tax bill by 2.4%.

The school board is scheduled to meet Nov. 10 to vote on the bonds.

Originally Published: October 13, 2025 at 8:00 PM CDT