Endorsement: Yes for school needs in Glen Ellyn Elementary District 89

The Glen Ellyn Elementary District 89 referendum comes down to whether district residents are willing to pay another $133 per $100,000 of home value to, the district says, maintain all its offerings. It's the first tax rate increase District 89 has sought since 1986. The district certainly has done its homework, most notably conducting surveys that suggest residents favor the tax hike. The district has presented a list of proposed cuts should the tax hike be rejected; perhaps everything on it is not absolutely necessary, but the loss of even some of the programs would be a concern. There is some opposition that has presented its own, in some ways, compelling arguments. A $396 average tax increase indeed is steep. But the survey results are convincing, and we can buy that a tax rate increase is due after 32 years. We support the tax increase request.