Forest Park School District 91 continues to improve energy efficiency and lower operational costs through HVAC system upgrades. The school board approved proposed upgrades for Grant-White Elementary School following a 6–1 vote during a board meeting Jan. 8. 

The recommendation for control system upgrades came from Ameresco, an energy infrastructure solutions provider that proposed significant improvements after investigating the current control systems at four buildings within the district. The improvements at Grant-White, which the district closed as a school in 2022, will cost $268,979. 

“Over the past 3 years, we have been adding the controls to each of our schools,” said Robert Hubbird, District 91’s interim superintendent. “This is the final phase of the implementation.” 

According to Hubbird, the updated system helps the district control room temperatures remotely and allows for more efficient heating and cooling schedules. Hubbird said having each school on one automation system streamlines operations for maintenance staff.  

“As a school district, we want to make sure we are regularly reducing our carbon footprint,” said Hubbird. “This system allows the district to be more efficient and financially responsible.”

Due to low enrollment in the district, the school board closed Grant-White at the end of the 2021-2022 school year. After remaining largely vacant for a few years, the Grant-White building was leased to Oak Park and River Forest High School. In August 2025, D200’s off-campus CITE program moved into the building. 

CITE, which stands for Community Integration Transition Education, is for young adults ages 18 to 22 who require Individualized Education Program services, vocational training and therapeutic support. The program is comprised of 50-some students and just under 20 staff members.

Currently, D200 pays an annual lease of $117,691 to rent part the building, in order to house the program. The lease agreement runs through June 2028 and can then be extended in one-year increments. 

The HVAC system upgrades at Grant-White will be partially covered by rent, with the remaining expenses incorporated into the district’s 2026 budget, which was approved in September. HVAC system upgrades at Grant-White are scheduled to begin in March or April.

Another topic covered at the Jan. 8 school board meeting was the annual eighth grade field trip to Washington, D.C. During the meeting, the board unanimously approved a recommendation for the trip not to exceed a cost of $90,000 during the 2027 fiscal year.

Although District 91 currently covers the cost of all field trips, that may no longer be possible for the trip to Washington, starting in the 2026-2027 school year. 

“I will say, the board may want to start considering passing on that cost to the parents,” Hubbird said. 

According to Hubbird, the trip grows in popularity each year.   

“$90,000 is the breaking point where we can sustain this,” Hubbird said. “If it goes above that, some of that cost will have to be passed on to the parents, so it may be a good idea to start fundraising so that we have a bank of money just in case it is needed.”