The Hinsdale Township High School District 86 school board approved issuing nearly $18 million in bonds this week to pay for installing air conditioning and making other capital improvements to its two high school.

The board voted 5 to 1 in favor of issuing the bonds that will go into the working cash fund. Board President Dennis Brennan, board members Dee Dee Gorgol, Michael Kuhn, Kay Gallo and Jennifer Planson cast ‘yes’ votes. Board member Richard Skoda voted against the resolution. Board member Dianne Barrett abstained.

Barrett said she abstained from voting on the measure because she believes it is illegal to state “that the bonds are for working cash purposes when they will be used for capital improvements.”

In addition, she said the board has $7 million in the working cash fund that it could use for the project

“The existing working cash funds could have been used instead of borrowing more money and increasing taxpayers’ debt,” she said.

The money generated from the bonds will be used to install air conditioning systems at Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South High Schools. It also will be used to renovate Hinsdale Central science labs, renovated entrances at both schools and re-design pick-up and drop-off points at both schools.

 amannion@tribune.com