Norridge taxpayers will decide in April whether to support a $1.25 million referendum that Norridge School District 80 officials say is necessary to avoid further significant cuts and projected deficits.
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The school board on Jan. 17 voted 6-0 in favor of placing the referendum on the April 4 ballot. The $1.25 million was the lowest increase out of five options considered by a task force comprised of residents and local officials from Norridge and Harwood Heights that met during December and January to make a recommendation to the school board.
The new proposal is a reduction from the $60.6 million tax increase that failed to pass in November, when about 77 percent of voters turned it down. Since then, school officials had worked to come up with a new ballot question to appear on the April ballot before the Jan. 17 deadline imposed by the Cook County Clerk’s office for filing a ballot question.
The failure of the November referendum has triggered $750,000 in imminent cuts to teaching jobs and some classes that officials said are set to take effect in the next school year, regardless of whether the April referendum is approved.
According to the district, a successful referendum would cost the owner of a $250,000 home an additional $233 per year. Without the referendum passing, the district projects an additional $800,000 in cuts to take effect in the 2018-19 school year to make up for a $1.6 million deficit projected within the next two years, according to school board President Srbo Radisavljevic.
Explaining the decision to pursue a new referendum this spring instead of waiting for the next election in March 2018, School District 80 Superintendent Paul O’Malley said the district had to take immediate action to stave off the additional cuts. Some Norridge residents who have spoken at board meetings since November have questioned the board’s decision to push forward with a new ballot question in the two-month timeframe since the November referendum failed to pass.
An opponent of the district’s quest for a tax increase, Norridge resident Riccardo Mora, said the district was rushing to attempt to pass a new referendum instead of taking the time needed for careful planning.
“I sure hope those voting yes on any tax increase have some level of confidence in passing it and not just throwing stuff up against the wall hoping something will stick, [because] another defeat will further erode any trust and confidence that some members of the community still have in this board,” Mora said in an email. “I wished they would wait until March 2018 to give the community time to heal and allow District 80 to get this thing right this time.”
O’Malley organized what he named a “superintendent’s task force” comprised of local officials, parents and taxpayers to come up with the $1.25 million request. The group met several times to discuss the options before making a recommendation to the school board earlier this month.
“This is not an easy position to take, as this board is in a very difficult position because we’ll be known for raising taxes and cutting programs,” O’Malley said. “We’ll get through this, and whatever decision we make, we’ll work together.”
Even with a successful $1.25 million tax increase, the district is likely to cut up to 15 teaching and staff positions to save an approximate $540,000, according to a deficit reduction plan from the school district. The rest of the cuts will be decided at a special board meeting. O’Malley said art, music and full-day kindergarten would likely be the first academic programs to go. Among the programs at risk of being cut starting next school year are world languages, band, sports and other after-school clubs and programs, according to the deficit reduction plan.
Aside from the academic impact of the school district’s financial situation, the district is still left without a way to pay for a long list of infrastructure needs that district officials say exist in the two school buildings. The original referendum sought to fund a plan to tear down both Giles and Leigh schools and build a combined school in its place, but without that funding, district officials are now looking at the possibility of issuing bonds to pay to repair the original buildings, which officials have said will require security upgrades, plumbing and pipe repairs and other work to modernize the schools.
The board, however, turned down a resolution that appeared on the agenda Jan. 17 to submit a ballot question to issue school bonds to pay for the construction. Radisavljevic explained the decision to postpone the bond request, saying the district’s most recent life safety survey was conducted seven years ago, and cost estimates may have changed since then.
“We don’t know what we’re getting ourselves into with the bonds,” he said. “The concern I have is that once you ask for an amount, you can’t really go out and change it.”
The district said it plans to conduct a new life safety survey and would likely consider bonds within the next couple of years, Radisavljevic said.
Despite not having children in the school district, Norridge resident Karen Bucaro said she was an advocate for the first referendum, and she said she hopes the community supports a tax increase the second time around.
“All these programs needed for a well-rounded education will be missing,” Bucaro said. “I wouldn’t even think about sending a kid to these schools if these programs are lacking.”
Natalie Hayes is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.