Rockdale School District 84 Referendum

ROCKDALE, IL: The quiet little community of Rockdale, Illinois, with its approximately 2,000 residents, just south of Joliet, has launched an effort to bring back many of the drastic cuts the one-school district has been forced to take, and to keep additional and more severe cuts from happening in the future. The group is campaigning for the passage of a limiting tax rate referendum in the November 6 election. If passed, the K-8 school will be able to eliminate the almost $300,000 deficit that has occurred due to funding changes with the state, and be able to reintroduce most, if not all, of the drastic cuts that have already been taken, such as the elimination of all extra-curricular activities. Should the referendum not pass, core educational cuts will be necessary to reduce, though not eliminate, the current deficit. This will include additional cuts to teachers and staffing, almost total elimination of textbook and technology spending, and the likely need to obtain short-term financing against future tax revenues in order to keep the school open. Necessary safety upgrades to this historic school will not be able to be performed, increasing the risk to the well-being of its students and staff.

Rockdale School District 84 residents have enjoyed historically low school tax rates, currently the lowest of any school district in Will County. This has been possible because of a significant portion, nearly 70%, of this revenue coming from commercial and industrial sources in this community. Unfortunately, with the recent balanced budget the state of Illinois passed, those funds were drastically reduced by more than $290,000 for the 2017-18 school year, and are expected to be cut even further by the end of the 2018-19 year. Additionally, the new educational funding provided by the state of Illinois through its Evidence-Based Funding formula placed Rockdale School District 84 on the lowest tier for new revenues by the state. Since the state determined that not enough funding was coming from local channels, such as real estate taxes, this new funding provided a mere $384.44 for the almost 300 students that are currently enrolled.

“This isn’t about the want for a new building or the desire to provide the latest technology to its students,” says Scott Philiph, chairperson of the Committee to Save Our School, District 84. “This is about providing the educational necessities that is every child’s right in this great state and country. They deserve to learn, and have the ability to succeed to their fullest potential, and to do so in a productive and safe environment. Without this referendum, I fear for my child, and all the children of our community.”

The dire situation faced by Rockdale School District 84 has brought out dozens of parents, residents, and staff-members alike, volunteering their time and energy to making others in their community aware of the necessity for this referendum, which would increase the limiting tax rate portion of their property tax bill by 0.9%, or about $25 per month on a $100,000 home. “I looked into private tutoring for my daughter before this school year began.” Scott Philiph mentioned. “The going rate is around $40 per hour. If I had to do that in order for my daughter to succeed because of additional cuts, I’d be looking at $300 to $400 per month minimum. If I have a choice of spending about $300 a year in increased taxes, or an extra $3600 to pay for private tutoring, I will gladly pay that little bit more on my tax bill.”

An increase in taxes is not the only thing at risk for those that reside in District 84. According to the Illinois State Board of Education, school districts that contain less than 5,000 residents or less than 750 students have the right to be dissolved without a referendum. If Rockdale School District 84 is unable to obtain additional funding from the local level, and an ever-increasing amount of loans and interest make keeping the school open unrealistic, the school board has the right to vote on the dissolvement of the school district. Should this happen, children of this community would become members of another local school district. Along with this would be the current tax rate for that new school district. Any debts that Rockdale School District 84 had incurred prior to this point would remain with the tax payers of that original district. Since the next nearest elementary school district is Joliet 86, that would likely be the ultimate destination. At a total tax rate of just over 4.3%, compared with Rockdale 84’s 1.499%, should this happen, residents would see a significant jump to their tax bills under such a change.

To keep such a potential scenario from occurring, a dedicated team of volunteers has been busy informing Rockdale’s community about the upcoming referendum through mailers, door-to-door communication, online through a website (https://saveourschool84.com/) and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/SaveOurSchool84/) , and even public Q&A events. They are encouraging every resident to be registered to vote and to make sure they exercise their right come November 6.

“Right now, the members of our community have a voice, and a big one because of our small size. Should we fail to pass this referendum, and dissolvement becomes a reality in the future, we will no longer have a choice on the outcome. A major piece of our community could then be lost,” adds Scott Philiph.