New Bensenville school plan rejected

New schools in Bensenville Elementary District 2 will have to wait a little longer.

Voters on Tuesday rejected a $50 million measure to tear down four elementary buildings in favor of two new grade-level centers.

With all 17 precincts counted, unofficial tallies showed 55 percent of those who voted opposing the question and 45 percent supporting it.

"Considering we ran such a low-key campaign, it's closer than we thought," said Patty Reyes, the District 2 school board president.

Under the plan, a newly-rebuilt Johnson Elementary School would have housed all prekindergarten through second-grade students. A second new building would have housed the district's third- through fifth-grade students. Once the new schools were constructed, the old ones would have been torn down.

Blackhawk Middle School was to get millions of dollars in improvements.

School district officials said they were sensitive to the economy and would be willing to delay taking the loan until the financial situation improved. That didn't sway voters.

"The community itself isn't supportive of referendums," Reyes said.