District 113 referendum encounters stiff opposition

Talk to property taxpayers in Deerfield, Highwood and Highland Park about the necessity of High School District 113’s $89 million facilities referendum on the April 9 ballot and you’ll find a wide range of mixed opinions.

Stiff opposition is coming from many homeowners, particularly seniors, the unemployed, and those with limited means, who fear they will be stuck with hundreds of dollars in increased school property taxes over the next 20 years.

 “This is the first bite of the apple,” District 113 Supt. George Fornero has publicly indicated. He points out there will be more referendums to come. While the current referendum calls for $89 million from taxpayers, it actually works out to be $120.4 million when you include using $25 million from the district’s healthy reserves and $6.4 million in uncommitted contractor adjustments.

If this referendum passes, the District estimates that bond and interest payments on a $300,000 market-value home, based upon one-third of your home’s equalized assessed value, could be increased $179 for the next 20 years starting next year. If the referendum fails then the homeowner will get a break, paying an increase of about $15 additional annually.

The tax goes up the higher your property value. A $600,000 homeowner will pay a hefty $358 in property taxes per year to the district for the next 20 years. If the referendum fails, the amount will be only $32. These figures come from District 113.

The referendum funding, which is part of phase one of the District’s facilities master plan includes $47.8 million for infrastructure, $26.1 million for Highland Park school’s demolition and repair to Buildings B and C, $3.8 million for a nearby creek-damaged new Library at Deerfield High, $19.6 million for duplicate new eight-lane swimming pools and diving wells at both Deerfield and Highland Park, and likewise $21.2 million for duplicate new gyms at both schools, along with $1.9 million for new security facilities at both high schools. However, no bond funds will be used to improve academic endeavors.

The plan is similar in many ways to the old discredited $133 million facilities referendum that the School Board tried to impose on property taxpayers two years ago. Voters soundly defeated it by a wide margin.

District 113 is not alone in floating an expensive referendum. Deerfield’s taxpayers recently approved referendums for a new $30 million wastewater treatment plant and a $12 million Public Library. Deerfield Elementary School District 109 is also considering a facilities referendum. In Highland Park residents suspect that Elementary District 112 will come forth with a facilities referendum in the near future.

While many of these projects have civic merit, the question becomes how many can the average homeowner afford?

Then there’s State Rep. Michael Madigan in Springfield. You will recall he’s the guy who pushed through a 66 percent increase in our state income tax a couple years ago – the so-called "temporary tax" that has barely made a dent in the state’s backlog of unpaid bills.

Now he’s trying to talk the Legislature into shifting unfunded teacher pension liabilities that the state generously approved for years from a floundering treasury onto suburban school districts. Of course this will just be passed along to Joe and Jane Homeowner.

Just before taking a two-week break in Springfield recently the Illinois Senate voted no on pension reform. Meanwhile the House passed a pension reform bill that the Chicago Tribune describes as “pension reform lite,” suggesting the problem is far from solved. Will this be passed along to taxpayers as well?

Thankfully, Education First, an independent group of taxpayers, has suggested a more affordable way for the populace to upgrade District 113’s facilities without going to referendum. They suggested this plan to school officials last year, but the school board ignored it in favor of hiring some high-priced consultants on the taxpayer’s dime.

They point out that after the District raised taxes for the past ten years, they now have acquired a very healthy reserve nudging $50 million. The District's current budget is $91 million annually.

District revenues this past year were $107.1 million. In both 2011 and 2012 the District added over $32 million to its net assets. Yet the District denies they are flush with cash. Why not use these excess funds they already have to good use in maintaining their facilities? 

Education First points out that not everything needs to be done in one big five-year swoop, as the district now plans. In fact it might be better to phase the work in over time for financial reasons, and insure that academic instruction is not unnecessarily disrupted. 

In these uncertain economic times, family budgets are tight. Some folks are being forced from their homes. The Deerfield Patch, an online local publication, recently indicated that more than 141 homes in ZIP code 60015 are now in foreclosure - 43 of those homes are within the Deerfield Village limits.

While some referendum proponents say that approval of this referendum - if passed - will enhance a homeowner’s property values, don’t swallow that drivel. There is no evidence this could occur. As a matter of fact, high property taxes here could be detrimental to future home sales.  

THE BOTTOM LINE: District 113 does not need a referendum. They already have sufficient means to pay for essential facility upgrades over time and provide for their proper maintenance. They need to separate needs from wants and avoid duplication whenever possible. Citizens have been more than generous in supporting local education over the years. We have some of the best schools and teachers in the state. But school taxes here already make up more than two-thirds of a homeowner’s total tax bill. Why not put that big reserve to use instead of hoarding it in District 113 bank accounts.