Small price to pay for desirable schools

As a Wheaton homeowner, parent and Realtor serving Wheaton, DuPage and surrounding areas, I am personally in support of the upcoming referendum.

The number one factor to relocate my family as my children approached school-age was our school system. In my professional experience, as well-supported by my industry, this attitude is shared by the vast majority of homebuyers. Even those without school-aged children agree that what maintains our thriving property values is the value of our schools. A community's school system indicates its overall priorities, livelihood, and reputation. Like any asset, if you don't continually maintain and make improvements, its value slowly erodes, perceived and real.

Let me be clear when I say definitively that the Wheaton housing market continually reflects high demand and increasing home values. Our property taxes are not a deterrent for most serious homebuyers and are not higher than a lot of other desirable communities with excellent school systems.

Wheaton's property taxes are well-known to be below Glen Ellyn's and comparable to other cities such as Naperville, Downers Groves and St. Charles. Our school ratings are among the top in the state. Homebuyers understand that if you move to cities with lower property taxes, on average the school systems aren't as highly rated. Yet even in other suburbs, taxes are comparable if not higher than ours, yet their schools are rated much lower.

The average homeowner's tax bill would increase approximately $200 per year if this referendum passes. With the amount of improvements slated to be made this is a small price to maintain our school system as one of the most desirable in Chicago area. If the referendum fails, we risk losing that reputation, decreasing our housing demand and lowering our home values.

Christine Groves

Wheaton