The Niles teacher’s union is supporting the school district’s effort to pass two bond proposals that would result in approximately $40 million worth of improvements to safety, security, technology and structures throughout the district.

Union President Katherine Elsner said the union voted to publicly support the bonds, which will appear on the ballot during the special election Tuesday, May 5.

“We see all around us everyday the improvements that need to be made and the way they affect the kids and their learning opportunities, so we are 100 percent behind the passage of the bond issue,” said Elsner, who has taught at the high school 18 years.

“The elementary teachers and middle school teachers all deal with similar problems — outdated buildings, technology, facilities, boilers that don’t work. There are so many things that need to be repaired and updated.”

The district’s buildings are between 50 and 77 years old, and most, if not all, are showing their age.

No one knows this better than Tami Williams.

The high school civics teacher said she teaches in the same classroom in which she learned algebra back in 1977.

Almost everything is the same, she said, from the floor tile to the windows to the cabinets. The original green chalkboard spanning the front wall is so old that she said it is impossible to find a piece of chalk that will write on it.

“This is exactly the way it was when I was in school,” she said. “You can walk into my classroom right now and go back in time.”

The heating system is so ineffective and old, Williams said, that her room is either too hot or too cold.

“I’ve had to wear gloves and a coat at times,” she said.

Williams said she would like to have her students do an internet chat with a local representative, but is afraid to try it because the internet is so inconsistent.

“I think it would be embarrassing for us and the kids to get cut off,” she said.

Elsner, who teaches math at the high school, said there are missing ceiling tiles in her classroom and a hole in the floor “that is dangerous.”

When it rains, she added, they have to place buckets and caution cones outside her room because the roof leaks.

“We just kind of joke about it, but the kids just feel like they aren’t getting the best environment because people aren’t investing in them like they’d like them to,” she said. “I think that would help their attitude and ownership of being more proud about their building and facilities.”

Elsner said the improvements that would come from the passage of the bond proposals would help the district attract new teachers and retain the good ones they have.

For more information on the details of the bond issue, visit the bond information page at nilesschools.org.