School board to wait on tax question until '10

Although everyone agreed the school needs repairs and upgrades, Mundelein High School board members on Tuesday informally agreed not to put a building-related referendum question on the April 2009 ballot.

Instead, board members eyed spring 2010 as a potential target for asking residents to approve a tax-rate increase to pay for campus improvements.

The troubled economy was a factor for some members.

"Financially, things are tight right now," board member Karen Havlik said. "A lot of people are hurting."

The desire to fully communicate the school's needs to residents - a process no one wanted to rush - also had a role in the delay.

"For me, it's really about the message," board member Vicky Kennedy said. "And I don't think we can do that in a short amount of time."

Board members said the panel should wait until 2010 and, in the meantime, build momentum and community support for the school and for a potential financial request.

"We have a good thing going," Havlik said, referring to recent educational changes and other efforts. "We're going in a positive direction."

Havlik and other board members also said the school can't afford another failed tax plan.

Voters have rejected five ballot questions in the past few years, most recently in 2006.

The community last approved a tax-rate increase in 1995. That was a $12.5 million expansion plan.

Earlier this year, a community group studying the campus' needs recommended a nearly $80 million expansion and improvement plan. It called for new classrooms and science labs, a new auditorium, an expanded cafeteria and other improvements.

The board opted not to put such a proposal on the Nov. 4 ballot, however, because the district's top administrators were changing and because of other factors.