Distrct 57 hosts community forum on tax-hike referendum Thursday

Officials in Mount Prospect Elementary District 57 will host the first of two community forums Thursday to share information about a March 20 tax hike referendum.

The forum is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, at Westbrook School, 103 S. Busse Road, Mount Prospect. The second forum is set for Thursday, March 1, also at Westbrook.

District officials say serious financial challenges require either additional funding through a tax increase or significant reductions in staffing, programs and maintenance budgets, plus increased student fees.

At the upcoming forums, administrators and school board members will provide information about district finances and the referendum, as well as answer questions.

If voters pass the referendum, the district would impose an 85-cent increase in the tax rate, to 3.60 per $100 of equalized assessed value. That would mean an additional $238 per year for $100,000 of home value, but could be lower with exemptions, officials say.