Editorial: School district wise to look into consolidation

Mount Prospect Elementary District 57 is in dire straits financially.

And that's why everything is on the table for discussion - as it should be. A community task force has recommended unanimously that the district seek a property tax rate increase of 85 cents per $100 equalized assessed value to deal with the district's financial troubles. The school board plans to vote in December on whether to ask voters to approve the tax increase, which would cost a homeowner with a $300,000 house about $408 more in the first year.

Certainly, that kind of increase - even though it would be the first general tax rate increase in 29 years - would not come without some pain. Many in the community will need to hear why the relatively small district is in such despair and what the plan is if the increase is not approved.

Meantime, some in the community are asking District 57 officials to discuss with neighboring school districts the possibility of consolidation as one way to address their issues.

We've long been a supporter of government consolidation in Illinois, which has 7,000 units of government, the most in the nation by a lot. It's been a goal of Gov. Bruce Rauner to make consolidation easier, and he signed legislation this year that expands the ability of agencies to make consolidation happen.

With school districts, much would need to be studied and discussed. We are not ready to say that District 57 definitely should merge with one of its neighbors. But we are sure that having the discussion would shine a light on how the district spends its money and how it might be spent better under a consolidation.

This week, board members in the much larger Elk Grove Township Elementary District 59, which already includes parts of Mount Prospect, were mixed about whether they'd be open to consolidation.

"Out of common courtesy, I feel like we should say we're willing to have a conversation," said board member Sharon Roberts. That's the attitude all our elected officials should start with in this instance.

And District 57 officials, such as board President Joe Sonnefeldt, need to be even more open to it as they take on the heavy lifting to determine the benefits and drawbacks. It's true, as Sonnefeldt said, that it may not be a "silver bullet" to solve all the district's problems. But it's also true, as he said, that right now, one "can't say one way or another whether it would be advantageous to consolidate."

Mount Prospect residents deserve to know that answer, especially if in the meantime they are going to have to pay more for educating the village's students. Other districts that could be part of the conversation are Arlington Heights Elementary District 25 and River Trails Elementary District 26, which is the only one of the three that is smaller than District 57.