Education Matters US

The News-Sun is reporting about how Grayslake High School District is planning on spending $1.6 Million dollars on capital improvement projects. The largest of these projects is approximately $1.1 million to put artificial turf at the new North High School.

The board set aside $500,000 for classroom improvements for art and the band-choir students at Grayslake Central, and plan to convert a surplus classroom into a science lab at the Grayslake North campus.

School Board President Mike Hutchins said the district is soliciting bids to install synthetic turf on the Grayslake North football field, estimated to cost $1.1 million.

Mike Zelek, associate superintendent for business affairs, said the natural- turf field at Grayslake North has a severe drainage problem that makes the field unsafe, and even unusable at times after heavy rain.

About two years ago, the board spent about $1 million on synthetic turf for the Grayslake Central football field. That project was deemed a huge success.

It will be interesting to watch the bidding process for the synthetic turf. When the district purchased for Grayslake Central they manipulated the standards to ensure awarding the contract to the highest bidder.

Secondly, why are there drainage problems at Grayslake North. Whoever designed the field just a few short years ago appears to have been derelict in their duties or at least not very good at engineering design. Why was there no warranty when the field was put in? Is the same architect firm handling this bidding process?

Excess space will also be turned into a science lab. Again, this is a new school. Where was the planning? What was the architect firm doing? Why are we taxpayers having to pay for work a second time due to poor planning by the school district and/or the architects? It is obvious our taxpayer money is being wasted.