Election Results: Hinsdale Approves, By a Slim Margin, a $53-Million New HMS

The final numbers are in: by just a slim margin, Hinsdale voters have moved to approve a referendum that will provide $53 million to rebuild Hinsdale Middle School.

With 32 of 32 precincts counted, according to the Chicago Tribune’s numbers, 53.6 percent of voters were in favor of the referendum, while 46.4 percent were against it.

Hinsdale School District 181 lobbied for months for residents to say 'yes' to the referendum, which will cost $53 million.

Hinsdale Middle School needs to be replaced, the district states on its website, due to its dated building and facility challenges. While other District 181 schools could also use a financial boost, HMS is in critical need of updating.

The referendum proposed allowing the school district to sell up to $53,329,194 in bonds to erect a completely new school in the place of HMS.

A referendum placed on this year’s March ballot almost passed, but by a vote of 56 percent to 44 percent the proposal was defeated. At the time, the proposal had topped out at $65 million.

District 181 claims that HMS hasn’t been up to par for quite some time, including not meeting the standards for a high-quality, 21st-century institution. Wight Co. & Architects, the district reported, identified around $3.4 million in repairs and replacements to the existing structure that would have to take place over the next ten years. They also said the roof would need an entire replacement — more than $2.33 million.

In a diagram comparing the current building to a new, improved HMS, the district outlines its wish to create larger classrooms, a more handicap-accessible campus, increased natural light and enough parking for all staff members — which doesn’t currently exist.

Advocacy groups have been campaigning their pro- and against-referendum cases for the past couple of weeks.

Keep checking back for Patch's election updates.

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