District 97 School Board Considers Pricey Referendums to Ease Financial Stress, Upgrade Buildings

Oak Park School District 97 is attempting to ease its strained finances with possible operating fund and facility referendums that could appear on the April 2017 ballot — and the proposals don’t come cheap.

At a Dec. 19 school board meeting, board members looked into a referendum that would increase the district’s tax levy by almost $14 million and bring the district up to a 30 percent target fund balance, the Chicago Tribune reported. In that case, the levy would rise to $67,008,340.

That would mean a $770 addition to an annual $10,000 property tax bill, according to the Tribune.

District 97’s budget has been in trouble for a while, school officials said, since revenue has flatlined but enrollment has increased. They said that without making more cuts or the passage of a referendum like the 30 percent option, the district’s fund balances would negative by 2018.

“We have 6,100 kids who enrolled this fall,” Graham Brisben, a board member, said at the meeting. “It’s a record not seen since the 1970’s. We’re at a 40-year high...Something’s got to give, and that’s why we’re here now.”

Some board members disagreed with the officials’ theory, stating that most of the district’s income comes from property taxes, not enrollment.

Still, that revenue is limited to the cheapest of two options: the current consumer price index or 5 percent. Last year, the consumer price index was just 0.7 percent, the Tribune reported. Board member Bob Spatz said the district has been a full percentage point under its projected income for five years now.

The Dec. 19 meeting also included discussion about possible facilities upgrades to the district’s school buildings, including updating classrooms and fixing safety hazards.

Typical maintenance, including upgrades to fire alarms, fixing areas that don’t comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, roof repairs and more would cost $37,588,500 between 2019 and 2021. Going an extra mile and improving classroom spaces, expanding school buildings and adding air conditioning would cost another $19,963,702.

Board members seemed largely in favor of keeping the two questions as separate referendums instead of combining them, the Tribune reported.

“I want us to be as transparent and clear as possible,” Jim Gates, the board’s president, said at the meeting.

The school board is expected to approve a referendum question for the April 2017 ballot at its Jan. 10 meeting.

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