How Do You Want To Be Remembered?

$0.82 per day.

$5.75 per week.

$25 per month.

$300 per year.

That’s what we asked the average homeowner in District 86 to invest in this community. Their community. Our community. Whether you have children at District 86 high schools or not, I hoped you would’ve agreed that schools are one of the most essential building blocks of a community. Even if you refused to believe that, just think ... $0.82 per day. That’s all we asked.

Keep in mind that the items included in our November 2018 referendum were identified and prioritized by your peers. Your neighbors. Your friends and family. These items were not conjured up by a small few. Not by an isolated group of educational elites. These were items that parents, staff, civic leaders, business owners, and other stakeholders identified as critical for our children and this community to thrive.

Accessibility - making our schools accessible for all, finally complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Building Infrastructure - roofs, electrical systems, ventilation units, and hot water.

Cafeteria - upgrading kitchen, electrical, plumbing, and ventilation systems.

Library - creating flexible instruction space and creating media and digital production labs.

Paving and Fields - fixing grading and drainage problems and replacing damaged fields and courts.

Performing Arts - renovating and expanding band and choral classrooms, enhancing auditoriums, and making these areas accessible.

Pools - new, state of the art pools at both high schools.

Science, Technology, Engineering & Math - renovating and expanding engineering, architecture, and media production classrooms plus updating technology and furniture in other classrooms.

Special Education - provide more resources, like a second adaptable bathroom and conference room.

All for $0.82 per day. One less Starbucks on the next Target run. One less appetizer at the next dinner out. One less in-app purchase on your phone.

Hinsdale Central High School opened in 1950. The last referendum that passed was in 1962, when voters approved building Hinsdale South High School, which opened in 1965. Fifty six years have passed since another referendum has passed. Fifty six years of life, technology, safety, security, and advancements have passed us by. We had an opportunity to change all of that. We had an opportunity to do something that truly matters. We had an opportunity ... no, we had an obligation to make our community stronger, safer, and wonderfully positioned for the generations that will follow us. For $0.82 per day.

And we failed.

Now, the Board of Education has responded by raising class sizes, cutting teachers, freezing salaries, possibly cutting department chairpersons, and eliminating football, wrestling, swimming, marching band, dance line, cheerleading, bass fishing, and 40 clubs. And they labeled all of this as “year one cuts”, meaning there are more cuts to come in years two, three, four ...

Yes, the Board agreed to put a (smaller) $130 million referendum on the April 2019 ballot. But that doesn’t mean the cuts and eliminations are reversible. In fact, one board member said he believes these cuts are permanent and irreversible.

Now what? Now we will ask for:

$0.64 per day.

$4.48 per week.

$19.20 per month.

$230 per year.

My fear, though, is that we’re not fighting the expense. My fear is that we’re fighting a philosophical difference and schism in our community where apathy, illogical thought, and selfishness reign supreme. And those things are much more difficult to combat than frugality.

We must align behind a common vision. A common goal. And we must passionately see it through to success, as failure is simply not an option. This is about more than Friday night football games. This is about more than property values. This is about our legacy as individuals and as a community. And we should refuse to have our legacy defined as one where we failed our children and the generations to follow.