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@cjsummers
I grew up going to school in non air conditioned school and I survived. Even went to college. Poorly ventilated is a big scary word for "kind of hot"

Ventilation standards are set by NIOSH and ASHRAE, IL State Board of education uses those standards to determine if ventilation is appropriate. Its often based upon number of air changes per hour for the occupancy of the rooms/buildings, and the minimum and maximum temperature that can be maintained at that occupancy.I don't know the details of the ventilation assessments of each building ,but I recall the school board held a public meeting in one of those un-airconditioned schools this summer, so people can get a sense of what its like to be in an unconditioned space with a bunch of other people.So a guy misspoke and the entire school district will be held untrustworthy in perpetuity. Its not uncommon for public officials to misstate their understanding of the codes. happens more frequently than it should. I get that D150 has lots of problems and made lots of mistakes and has completely lost the public trust. But is it realistic to think that the district can maintain its entire infrastructure of 24 schools and associated buildings, parking, roofs, ventilation, at current funding levels in perpetuity?

@jimthompson :its not just about being hot, its about indoor air quality. www.huffingtonpost.c om/2013/06/07/school -ventilation_n_34043 85.htmlHow many computers were in your classroom when you were in school and how much heat did they give off? www.osha.gov/SLTC/in doorairquality/schoo ls.html

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Those are all really good questions.But even if they got rid of all the buildings, that you think they are supposed to get rid of, and if they increase efficiency in transportation system, and fixed all of the other imperfect things in the school district, they still need a long term source of revenue to maintain whatever it is they decide to keep.I suspect a new school like Glen Oak costs less to maintain than the older schools.I don't think sales taxes are a fair way to collect this revenue, but I understand the revenue is sorely needed. I don't think this is going to be the only sales tax referendum on the ballot.... so enjoy.

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Your consolidation propsal is interesting but spurs more questions.Do Dunlap schools have a balanced budget? What are the deferred maintenance costs strung along in their operating budget?Is there enough surplus there to fix Peoria problem?is the proposed sales tax county wide and going to all school districts or is it just a city tax for 150 only?

Why stop at Dunlap? Why not a county wide district? There will never be an efficient consolidation of government services on any level because the evaluators/decision makers will always have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.

I can understand Dunlap because a large portion of the school district was annexed into the city.But I can not see county wide consolidation. Other smaller towns, ie Chillicothe, Elmwood, Prineville are not going to give up local control of their schools (not that Dunlap would either...) but the exodus of people into the Dunlap school district is a problem for the Peoria community.

But.... what about all that TIF money that the city has deprived District 150 of? A sales tax would help to restore that lost revenue.

Yes... I think consolidation of District 150 and District 323, within city boundaries has merit. As it is right now, we are two cities in one boundary.

How are the city and school district boundaries different? Do property taxes go to the same school district that students attend? I know this is an old conversation, I just don't remember.

I say make teachers in charge of their budget, and administrators can fight each other for their shares.If there is a classroom of 30 students, d150 is spending $209,000 on instructional costs for that room. I think that could buy an HVAC system and still pay a proper teacher salary.(Since d150 is getting $12279/student they are currently blowing $368,370 on that classroom with 30 students.www.illinoisreportca rd.com/District.aspx ?source=Environment& source2=PerStudI don't think more money is the solution.