While school officials across Will and southwest Cook County enjoyed a giddy Wednesday plotting how to spend the millions that voters gave them, a handful fretted about what to do now that residents rejected tax increases.
“We will have to decide what we will fund through borrowing and what, maybe, is a luxury for us,” said a dejected Jean Coverick, school board member in Palos School District 118, which saw its 40-cent tax increase go down for the second time in six months. “You have to think, `Am I going to (borrow) to keep my drama club going, or am I going to keep a reading program?’ “
Coverick said voters sent a message that school officials should cut the budget or continue borrowing money. “Now it’s up to us to decide what combination of cutting and borrowing we must do,” she said.
Officials in Valley View School District 365-U must decide how to deal with the voters’ decision to support a $26.5 million school construction package, but reject a 23-cent tax increase to staff the school. The tax-hike rejection will not slow plans to renovate other district schools.
“The major question for us is going to be whether we should go back to voters next year and ask, once again, for the tax increase,” said Supt. David VanWinkle. “And the board is going to have to decide whether we should start building the new school and hope to pass a tax rate increase later, or whether we should wait and get the tax increase passed first. It’s not an easy dilemma to solve.”
Palos and Valley View were the only school districts in the area that saw voters reject ballot initiatives in what local education officials say was one of the best showings in recent history.
All told, voters in the area approved 17 of 19 school-related initiatives, approving more than $92 million to build and renovate schools. Voters also agreed to increase their yearly school property taxes from as little as $150 to as much as $750 to fund new teaching positions and programs.
“It was a great day for schools and for education,” said Richard Duran, superintendent of the Will County Regional Office of Education. “I think there has been a big effort on the part of school districts to inform the public of the realities of what they need, and voters apparently are hearing that message.”
In fact, school-related bond initiatives fared well across the state. Of the 89 on the ballot, 57–or 64 percent–were approved.
Not surprising, 69 percent of all the school construction packages passed voter muster. Educators attribute the showing to the state’s school construction grant program, which awards millions to districts with voter-approved school construction projects.
Perhaps more surprising, though, was the unprecedented support for school tax-hike measures. Typically, Illinois voters approve 25 percent of school tax-hike issues, state education officials said. This year, they approved 14 of 27, or 52 percent.
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Will and southwest Cook County voters approved five of seven, or 71 percent.
School officials in districts where voters approved education fund tax-rate increases were thrilled with the prospect of spending more on teachers, programs, textbooks and supplies.
Supt. Steve Humphrey, of financially strapped Crete-Monee 201-U, already was talking about restoring 10 to 12 teaching positions, buying new textbooks and restoring a class period to a recently truncated high school day. Voters in the district passed, by 54 percent to 46 percent, a complicated referendum issue that extends a recent tax increase for another seven years.
“People around here are elated and there were a lot of tears spilled this morning,” Humphrey said. “I’m getting calls every 30 seconds. We are excited about the prospect of returning some of the budget cuts, while paying off our debt, and we are thrilled the community supported us.”
Will County School District 92 officials also are hungry to put the money voters gave them to good use. By a resounding 62 percent, voters backed an $11.5 million school construction package.
“It’s wonderful to finally be able to move this plan forward,” said Supt. Richard Maier, referring to voters’ November rejection of a similar measure. “We have the land, we have a lot of good ideas and now we’re going to gather more ideas . . . and hopefully come up with some architectural renderings in the fall.”
Humphrey and Maier, like many other area superintendents, attributed their success to a sophisticated sales pitch and a grass-roots volunteer effort. Whether it was creating colorful, state-of-the-art campaign packets, organizing and conducting surveys, or registering residents to vote, hundreds of community activists employed a hard sell.
“We learned last time that a good sales pitch goes a long way,” Maier said.