The board of Maercker School District 60 recently approved holding a referendum for a $28 million bond issue, a move that is raising concerns due to increased property taxes, the district's declining student enrollment and the state's overall poor student performance rates despite increased spending for education.
On March 20, voters will be asked to approve the bond proposal that district officials say will be paid off over 20 years. The bonds will help fund early childhood programs, science labs and music and performance spaces as well as full-day kindergarten, according to the district, which operates schools in Clarendon Hills, Willowbrook and Westmont.
Maercker District 60 Superintendent Sean Nugent recently told the Chicago Tribune that the community supports the idea of the referendum and said he estimates the bond issue would raise property taxes about $144 for a $300,000 home.
"We asked in a community survey who would support a referendum for these projects, and 77 percent said they would vote yes," Nugent is quoted as saying in the recent Chicago Tribune article.
Despite the show of support for the bond sale, there is still the issue of the district's lower enrollment and debt due to increased spending. According to the Illinois State Board of Education, Maercker district's student enrollment has dropped just over 8 percent over the past decade, while the district's spending per student has increased over 50 percent.
Nugent told the Chicago Tribune the bond sale is part of the district's master facilities plan and will concentrate on two of the district's oldest schools, Holmes and Westview Hills Middle.
Nugent said Holmes, which is currently over capacity, is in need of a full-day kindergarten and early childhood programs. He also said plans call for the building of science labs and music and performance spaces for Westview Middle, according to the Chicago Tribune article.
"We're a small district and while this work is needed, we certainly want to be fiscally responsible," Nugent said in the article.
"If we did everything we wanted, it would have been about $45 million," Nugent said in the article in reference to the proposed current bond referendum.
According to Illinois Policy, an independent public policy organization, a 2017 Metropolitan Planning Council report shows Illinois school districts spend $518 per student collectively on "general administration," which is over double the national average.
Despite the Maercker district's lower enrollment and increased spending over the past decade, the newly proposed bond referendum seems to be picking up public support. According to the Chicago Tribune article, a citizens group called Citizens for D60 Vote Yes has been formed to further garner support for the referendum. The article states the group is holding events, coordinating mailings and has set up a Facebook page. According to the group's founder, Lesly Wright, a parent in District 60, the goal is to get support from older community members who don't have school-age children.
"There's a large number of residents in the community who are over 50 and 60 and we want to let them know that this referendum is very important," Wright told the Chicago Tribune.
| Maercker Enrollment, 2007-16 | |||
| 2016 | 1,191 | 10 year % change | -8.2% |
| 2015 | 1,166 | ||
| 2014 | 1,162 | ||
| 2013 | 1,150 | ||
| 2012 | 1,173 | ||
| 2011 | 1,151 | ||
| 2010 | 1,167 | ||
| 2009 | 1,190 | ||
| 2008 | 1,236 | ||
| 2007 | 1,298 | ||
| Maercker Local Property Tax Revenue | |||
| 2016 | $18,475,677 | 10 year % change | 41.7% |
| 2015 | $17,978,645 | ||
| 2014 | $17,757,592 | ||
| 2013 | $16,767,875 | ||
| 2012 | $17,020,175 | ||
| 2011 | $16,847,599 | ||
| 2010 | $16,186,666 | ||
| 2009 | $15,675,429 | ||
| 2008 | $14,749,422 | ||
| 2007 | $13,038,368 | ||
| Maercker Per-Pupil Spending | |||
| 2016 | $17,651 | 10 year % change | 53.1% |
| 2015 | $16,885 | ||
| 2014 | $16,536 | ||
| 2013 | $17,214 | ||
| 2012 | $16,262 | ||
| 2011 | $15,722 | ||
| 2010 | $16,552 | ||
| 2009 | $13,540 | ||
| 2008 | $12,803 | ||
| 2007 | $11,530 | ||
| Maercker Total Tax Dollars Spent | |||
| 2016 | $21,022,498 | 10 year % change | 40.5% |
| 2015 | $19,688,393 | ||
| 2014 | $19,215,040 | ||
| 2013 | $19,795,911 | ||
| 2012 | $19,074,746 | ||
| 2011 | $18,096,101 | ||
| 2010 | $19,316,035 | ||
| 2009 | $16,113,095 | ||
| 2008 | $15,824,424 | ||
| 2007 | $14,965,641 | ||
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