‘Most pressing needs’: After public scrutiny, District 214 cuts potential referendum ask in half
Northwest Suburban High School District 214 has cut its possible referendum ask in half — from more than $900 million at one point, to as much as $450 million now — as officials continue to gauge public appetite for a tax hike to fund building updates.
“The district has carefully considered the community’s feedback and adjusted its approach to reflect the community’s wishes,” according to a facilities planning presentation on the district’s website. “Moving forward, this process will focus only on the highest-priority projects, based on community feedback and district evaluations.”
A new survey, available through Friday at fs25.formsite.com/sbbmho/nm2geavbsk/index, asks respondents to rank their willingness to support a ballot question at three different cost levels:
• Option 1: $300 million for electrical, pavement, door hardware and card access, fire alarm systems, HVAC, plumbing, new boilers, roofs, elevators, windows, stadium and gym bleachers safety, science lab and theater renovations. It would yield a yearly tax increase of roughly $190 for the owner of a $396,500 house, district officials estimate.
• Option 2: $375 million for everything in the first option, plus renovations of auxiliary fields, tennis courts, student services, art/photo/graphics classrooms, locker rooms, culinary classrooms and John Hersey High School’s second floor hallway. It would yield a $238 annual tax increase.
• Option 3: $450 million for everything in the first two options, plus exterior restrooms, classroom furniture and casework and a physical education/athletic wing replacement at Prospect High School. The annual tax impact would be $285 a year.
Survey-takers are asked to rank the options by priority on a scale from 1 to 4, including a final option: “I do not support additional funding for our schools.”
The district also sent out a related phone survey to some households. It is available until Tuesday by calling (224) 335-4547.
The latest round of public engagement comes after initial online, phone and in-person questionnaires last fall found tepid support for the district’s highest priced plan: $800 million worth of upgrades at a $421 annual tax impact.
The facility plan at one point contemplated a maximum of $912.5 million in projects.
But a consultant that conducted the polling for the district recommended officials reduce the proposed funding levels and defer the lowest-rated projects, such as building three new swimming pools and modernizing main school building entrances.
School board members will decide whether to pursue what would be the Arlington Heights-based district’s first referendum in more than five decades.
Officials said no decision has been made about whether to place a tax increase question on the Nov. 3 ballot, but that the board’s decision will be informed by feedback received from the surveys.
“The needs facing District 214 schools are real, and so are the economic pressures facing the community,” officials wrote on the district website. “Community input will help District 214 continue designing a community-driven plan that addresses the most pressing needs of its aging buildings, protects the community’s investment in its schools and respects the financial realities facing families and taxpayers.”