No Way, EDA.

I have had the privilege of serving the students in District 300 for the past 25 years. As a teacher, coach and administrator, I have observed first hand the education that our school community has provided our students with a modest per-pupil expenditure. There are several neighboring school districts that have services and programs for their students that we only dream of having.

I have also observed our school district embrace collaborative community partnerships with local governments, businesses and the like. However, a collaborative effort to extend the Sears EDA cannot be an option. The Sears EDA is approaching its 23-year expiration date. It has served its intended purpose for almost a quarter of a century. It’s time to move on. We currently have teachers in our school district who were in diapers when the EDA was implemented.

I urge our elected officials in Springfield to put a screeching halt to Amendment 3 of Senate Bill 540. District 300 has already given millions of school property dollars to the Sears EDA since Ronald Reagan was president and Jim Thompson was governor. I think the Village of Hoffman Estates has had plenty of time for its economic development project. It is now time to invest in the lives of D300 students.

William T. Doran

Principal

Westfield Community School

Dist. 300 parent

Algonquin