Community Consolidated School District 89 recently issued the following announcement.
Residents can learn more about the Community Consolidated School District 89 referendum at two upcoming informational meetings.
CCSD 89 Superintendent Dr. Emily Tammaru will host the meetings, which are open to anyone in the community. At both meetings, there will be a brief overview presentation, then residents will be able to ask questions.
The referendum informational meetings will be held:
- 6 to 7 p.m., Monday, September 17 at Park View Elementary School, 250 S. Park Boulevard, Glen Ellyn
- 9 to 10 a.m. Tuesday, October 23, at the District Office, 22W600 Butterfield Road, Glen Ellyn
You can learn more about the referendum at: www.ccsd89.org/our89
To watch a video summarizing the financial challenges and community feedback that led to the referendum question, go to: https://youtu.be/G2rjnhxtzfw
An “Our 89” Community Engagement frequently-asked-questions document can be found at: www.ccsd89.org/our89FAQ
About the CCSD 89 referendum
CCSD 89 board members said they supported a ballot question after hearing residents express a desire to avoid classroom cuts while eliminating the deficit.
This summer, the district hosted three community meetings to share financial data and gather feedback. At the “Our 89” community meetings, 84.7 percent of the people in attendance said they supported increasing the tax rate rather than cutting programs to balance the budget. When the district conducted phone surveys this summer of all residents (parents and non parents), 56.9 percent of residents said they would support a 40-cent referendum.
CCSD 89 enrollment has increased by 16.9 percent since 2012 and it is projected to grow an additional 10 percent in the next three years. Due to this enrollment increase and rising costs, CCSD 89 is facing deficit budgets for at least the next five fiscal years.
The Board will ask voters to approve a 40-cent tax increase. For a resident with a $300,000 home, the additional cost would be about $33 per month. CCSD 89 has not had an educational-rate increase since 1986.
In January 2018, Tammaru convened a Superintendent’s Finance Committee to examine the district’s financial status and priorities. The committee looked at the nearly $3 million in cuts the district has made since 2009, and examined how rising enrollment and increasing costs have affected the district’s budget.
The members of the Finance Committee recommended two options to the Board of Education:
- Option A: Increase revenues in order to maintain comprehensive, high-quality educational programming. Increasing revenues would allow the district to avoid cuts to programs that directly impact students.
- Option B: Reduce programs and increase fees. The district would need to make about $1.2 million in cuts during the 2019-20 school year. These cuts could include reductions of: gifted services, band and orchestra, social work services, library staff, and full-day kindergarten. The cuts could also result in larger class sizes. The cuts could be more significant in subsequent years.
The referendum question that will appear on the ballot will read:
Shall the limiting rate under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law for Glen Ellyn Community Consolidated School District Number 89, DuPage County, Illinois, be increased by an additional amount equal to 0.4% above the limiting rate for school purposes for levy year 2017 and be equal to 3.3849% of the equalized assessed value of the taxable property therein for levy year 2018?
Voting ‘yes’ on this question would be voting to support the referendum. Voting ‘no’ on the referendum would be voting against the referendum.
The referendum will be on the ballot November 6. Early voting starts September 27. The deadline to register is October 9.
You can find out more information about registering to vote in DuPage County at: www.dupageco.org/Election/Voting/
Original source can be found here.
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