I would like to encourage the D86 Board to continue to do the right thing for the student body and not succumb to political theatrics. The school referendum did not solely pass because the originally proposed 10-lane pool for Hinsdale Central was scaled down to six lanes. A clear majority (60-40) voted in favor of the $140 million referendum because facilities at both schools need to be fully upgraded after decades of underinvestment.
Although the $140 million referendum included too small of a pool for Central, I believe the board should build the right size pool. Please note that our three children are not swimmers, but I want to see the board make the right decisions for our broader community of students.
To state the obvious, D86 has two exceptional high schools, but they are of different enrollment. Hinsdale Central has 2,700 students, and Hinsdale South has 1,500 students. A new six-lane pool would match that of Hinsdale South for political reasons but would be inherently flawed for a school the size of Hinsdale Central.
Board oversight of D86 is challenging given different size schools and residential politics, but doing the right thing for students should always win out. — David Risinger, Hinsdale
