Mundelein High School’s infrastructure is aging beyond repair
Mundelein High School was the pride of the Mundelein area when it opened in 1961. Its 680-square-foot classrooms had seating for 20 desks. The building had a cutting-edge boiler system, glass block windows in the hallway, and an auditorium for band, orchestra, and theater programs.
In the 63 years since it opened, these areas, along with the competition gym and the kitchen and cafeteria, have seen little change. The school’s original classrooms are the same size, the boiler HVAC system uses the same technology, and the kitchen still has four food serving lines.
Today, the building’s aging infrastructure is increasingly showing signs of wear. In the kitchen, one of the four food lines was permanently shut down due to issues with electrical service beneath the floor. Two water main breaks over the past couple of years have forced the school to shut down twice.
The building’s materials exceed their recommended life expectancy, Kevin Quinn, District 120’s Director of Facilities and Maintenance.
“Masonry, glass, and other structural materials are only expected to last approximately 50 years,” Quinn said. “Technology has also changed. Glass block windows aren’t efficient and leak. There is air coming through. If you hold a piece of paper up by the glass blocks, the paper flutters.”
At the heart of the issue are the school’s original mechanical systems. Designed for a time when educational demands were more straightforward, the boiler HVAC system, which was once considered advanced, is now outdated because it can’t transition from heating to cooling without shutting the system down for 72 hours.
This means that the heat remains on during hot spells in spring, resulting in uncomfortable temperatures. Additionally, the cafeteria and gymnasium are not air-conditioned, leading to temperatures rising from 62 degrees in the morning to over 95 degrees mid-afternoon during the hottest days of August and early September. The heat has forced the cancellation of physical education classes due to unsafe conditions.
The school’s electrical and plumbing systems also reflect a bygone era. The electrical infrastructure was designed before modern digital technology, making it inadequate for today’s classrooms, which require reliable access to power for computers and other learning tools. Similarly, the school’s plumbing system is outdated, leading to frequent maintenance issues and system failures such as water main breaks.
This infrastructure, once considered ahead of its time, struggles to align with today's more stringent regulations and expectations. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has implemented modern best practices and additional regulations aimed at improving air quality and ventilation, but Mundelein High School’s systems only meet the most minimal requirements.
As the school district looks to the future, the proposed November 5 referendum offers a pathway toward revitalizing Mundelein High School’s infrastructure. The $149.5 million bond request - along with $50 million not related to this referendum - would provide funding for key improvements, including installing a modern HVAC system, upgrading the electrical infrastructure, and adding critical safety features. These updates would not only bring the school in line with current codes but also ensure that it is prepared to meet future educational demands.
By upgrading the existing structure, the District 120 will extend the life of the school building and create a learning environment that is safe and promotes flexibility and collaboration, enabling students to engage with technology and each other in ways that are essential for success in today’s world.
The school has created a video on its website that discusses the infrastructure needs further. To learn more, visit Mundelein High School’s infrastructure video.
More information about the referendum, including specific projects, benefits, tax impact, ballot language and voting details is available at d120.org/2024-proposal.
Referendum offers hope for invigorating MHS trades education
As manufacturing jobs opportunities in Lake County continue to grow, Mundelein High School aims to prepare its students by expanding its Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs.
There is a significant opportunity to secure jobs in skilled trades immediately after graduation. But the lack of a modern career-tech education program leaves many students unaware of these pathways. The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 150 claims to receive most of its workers from MHS, but typically not until two years after graduation. The delay is a result of the lack of exposure to trade careers while in high school.
Plans to expand the manufacturing education space includes windows in CTE classrooms allowing passing students to get a glimpse of the opportunities these programs offer.
"We want to create pathways for students that lead directly from high school to careers," said Dr. Anthony Kroll, Assistant Superintendent of Specialized Programs. "No graduate should waste two years after high school looking aimlessly for a career when they could have learned about it in high school."
The school does not offer programs in these critical areas mostly because it does not have the space needed to support them. Former CTE spaces were redeveloped to meet other needs, and programs once known as “shop class” were discontinued.
MHS wasn’t always lacking a robust trades education. At one time, MHS was ahead of the curve, boasting a program where students even built airplanes. Currently, it ranks last among its Lake County counterparts in preparing students for these specialized fields of work.
Today, the potential for job growth in building trades and manufacturing is substantial. These fields represent a massive segment of the job market that remains underserved in the current curriculum.
In Lake County, one in seven jobs is tied to manufacturing. Projections for the next decade indicate explosive growth in trades and manufacturing jobs. According to the Brookings Institute, the number of construction jobs in northeast Illinois is expected to grow by nearly 120 percent from 2020 to 2030. Similarly, jobs for metal machinists are projected to grow by more than 90 percent during the same period.
An expanded CTE curriculum will align with local workforce needs, creating direct links between classroom learning and real-world careers, directly benefiting both graduates and the local economy.
Local businesses are eager to fill these positions. Larsen Manufacturing in Mundelein has consistently reached out to MHS looking for students who are prepared to enter the workforce directly after graduation. The company emphasizes the importance of having a pipeline of skilled workers and supports initiatives that introduce high school students to careers in manufacturing early on.
“Manufacturers are the number one industry that will reach out to our school to find students for their positions,” said Rich Stiles, CTE Department Chairman.
For MHS students, this represents an immediate opportunity to step into well-paying jobs without needing to first navigate unrelated or low-paying positions. The only thing holding the school back from bringing back manufacturing and building trades education is the lack of space to house space for the machinery.
The District 120 School Board’s Long-Term Facilities Plan includes the expansion of the Career and Technical Education space. It is part of the building expansion and improvement plan that will be considered by voters on the Nov. 5 ballot.
More information about the referendum, including specific projects, benefits, tax impact, ballot language and voting details can be found at d120.org/2024-proposal.
Mundelein High School Faces Overcrowding Crisis
When the morning bell rings each day at Mundelein High School, more than 2,200 students squeeze through the hallways—designed for just 1,500. This chaotic start to each day has become the daily reality of a school bursting at the seams.
“The school, which was built in the 1950s, isn’t equipped to handle the increase in our student population and the evolution of the learning environment,” said Kevin Myers, Superintendent of Mundelein School District 120. “These issues often result in spaces that are less engaging for our students.”
Classrooms designed to accommodate 20 students now routinely hold more than 30. With more students packed into each classroom, the personalized attention teachers need to foster effective learning is harder to achieve.
According to the Illinois State Report Card, MHS enrollment has increased by 251 students since 2018, enough to fill nine classrooms. With numerous housing developments being built within the district, enrollment growth is expected to continue.
Research from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (also known as the Nation’s Report Card), covered by the National School Boards Association, has shown that overcrowding can reduce students’ ability to pay attention in class and even increase disruptive behaviors.
Kevin Quinn, District 120’s Director of Facilities and Management, said that when the high school was built, classrooms were generally 680 square feet (about twice the area of a parking space) with 20 student desks and a teacher positioned at the front. “Teaching methods have changed. Learning is more interactive and requires larger, dynamic spaces for collaboration and experiments,” he said.
Impact on Common Areas
- Overcrowding affects more than just the classrooms. The school’s shared areas are also outdated and underperforming.
- The Career and Technical Education (CTE) space is too small to house manufacturing and building trades training equipment. MHS’s CTE programming falls behind what other Lake County high schools are offering.
- Music classrooms and band spaces can accommodate 80 students, but enrollment in these programs is more than three times that number.
- Hundreds of students must sit on the gymnasium floor during assemblies or pep rallies due to lack of space.
- During four lunch periods, the cafeteria has a total capacity of 1,800—leaving 20 percent of students to eat lunch off campus. As a result, these students miss out on opportunities for peer bonding and accessing school resources, such as appointments with counselors.
- The auditorium lacks the capacity to properly host theater productions, music performances, speakers and community meetings.
“Parents expect their children to be educated in a modern learning environment,” Myers said. “Businesses, colleges, universities and trade schools expect that. If we don’t provide it, we fall behind, and we fail our kids.”
Funding the Path Forward
The upcoming November 5 election gives Mundelein residents an opportunity to address these challenges through a proposed $149.5 million referendum.
“If approved, the referendum would fund expansions to create new, larger classrooms, updated common areas and dedicated spaces for specialized programs,” Myers said. “These changes would reduce overcrowding and foster a more modern, collaborative learning environment.”
Responding to input from Mundelein residents, District leadership reshaped the original 2023 scope, reducing the project by $25 million. The District also is committed to allocating $50 million in non-referendum capital funds to the project.
The 2024 bond request equates to approximately $34.50 a month ($414/year) for a house valued at $300,000. The estimated tax impact is roughly 40 percent less than that of the 2023 referendum. Voters are encouraged to use the calculator at d120.org/d120-financing to determine their estimated tax impact.
Find information about the referendum, specific projects, benefits, tax impact, ballot language and voting at d120.org/2024-proposal or by emailing mhsbuildingplan@d120.org.
Mundelein School Board places building referendum on November ballot
The District 120 Board of Education on Tuesday unanimously authorized placing a $149.5 million capital improvements referendum on the Nov. 5, 2024 ballot.
A successful referendum would fund a Mundelein High School facilities plan designed to replace aging infrastructure, upgrade instructional spaces, enhance career and technical education spaces, make health, safety and security improvements, and address overcrowding issues.
The school, which opened in 1961, was designed to house 1,500 students. Current enrollment exceeds 2,200 and is expected to grow, especially with the 740-acres Ivanhoe Farms housing development looming in Mundelein’s future.
“We’re faced with some aging facility issues that simply won’t go away on their own. And this comes at a time when education needs are changing and enrollment is growing,” said Dr. Kevin Myers, Superintendent for Mundelein School Districts 120 and 75.
The project would replace much of the building’s original infrastructure which has reached the end of its useful life, improve the efficiency of mechanical systems and minimize costly repairs. The plan includes updates to fire safety systems and other health and safety issues including air quality, accessibility and overcrowding.
More classrooms would be added, health and wellness rooms would be centralized and more space would be allocated to Career & Technical Education programming in order to add skilled trades training in machining and building trades.
The school’s original kitchen and cafeteria will be upgraded to alleviate crowding, health and safety issues. The project will include additional classroom and storage space for the music program and a new multi-purpose fieldhouse for physical education and health and wellness classes, assemblies, performances, tournaments and community events.
“We continue to be recognized for excellence in academics and programming. The only thing holding us back from continuing on this path is our own facilities,” Myers said. “By addressing the school’s most pressing facility and site needs, we can position MHS for a strong future.”
While the project to renovate and expand Mundelein High School will cost $199.5 million, District 120 will allocate $50 million of non-referendum dollars toward the project. If the referendum passes, these funds would be used in conjunction with the $149.5 million of voter-approved referendum dollars.
The District is currently working with its bond counsel evaluating the loan parameters. More details will be provided once the information is available.
The proposal is $25.5 million less than the $175 million referendum voters rejected in April 2023. Since then, the District re-shaped and fine-tuned the scope, cutting more than 36,000 square feet of new construction from the plan. The School Board made the adjustments after surveying the community and soliciting public input at town hall meetings last fall.
If voters approve the referendum in November, construction would begin in the spring of 2025 and last about three years. The District, architect, and construction management team will work together to develop a phasing plan that is least disruptive to school operations while allowing the work to pace out as efficiently as possible to be cost competitive.
Complete information is available on the MHS Website at www.d120.org/2024-proposal/.