The Indian Prairie School District 204 Board of Education approved adding a tax referendum question on the Nov. 5 election ballot at yesterday’s school board meeting.
The IPSD 204 referendum question
The referendum question will ask voters if the district should issue a $420 million bond for safety and facility improvements at all 33 buildings.
Specifically, the question on the Nov. 5 ballot will read:
“Shall the Board of Education of Indian Prairie Community Unit School District Number 204, DuPage and Will Counties, Illinois, alter, repair and equip existing school buildings, including constructing security improvements, including installing secure entryways, access controls and intrusion detection, replacing roofing, mechanical, plumbing, and HVAC systems, updating classrooms, science labs and libraries/media centers, enhancing energy efficiency and issue bonds of said School District to the amount of $420,000,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?”
What would the IPSD 204 referendum do?
If the referendum passes in November, the tax levy will remain at $0.37 per $100 of equalized assessed value (EAV) starting at the end of 2026 and will be paid off around 2046.
Officials said the bond would bring in about $25.5 million annually to the district and that they would have eight years to spend the money.
Safety and security improvements such as updating main entrances with the necessary functions and visibility, securing doors and windows, and adding cameras and intercoms would be the first priority. These improvements would start in the summer of 2025, with the goal of being mostly completed by the summer of 2026.
Question was one of two considered
The question was one of two that was considered for the ballot. The other was a $0.37 limiting rate referendum.
At the June 10 board meeting, district officials said both options would cost taxpayers the same amount and would not result in a net tax rate increase. Also, neither option would overlap with the current bond being paid, it would only replace it once it’s paid off on Dec. 30, 2026.
Differences in the options were found in their targeted goals.
The limiting rate referendum would have addressed all five of the master facility plan’s priorities: safety and security, infrastructure, learning environments, facility needs, and operational inefficiencies. This also includes operating needs like reducing class sizes and hiring more mental health counselors.
The bond focuses solely on capital funding.
“As a bond resolution, all funding would be restricted for building improvements. There’s a focus on safety and security improvements, reinvestment in building infrastructure, gaining operational efficiencies, and other improvements,” said Matt Shipley, Chief School Business Official for IPSD 204.
Covering needs to open up cash for others
While the bond doesn’t directly address operating needs, Shipley hopes the investments made on capital improvements can save money that can then be used toward operations.
Board members were told at the June 10 meeting that a bond has a higher chance of passing over a limiting rate referendum based on data and survey feedback from District 204 residents.
At yesterday’s board meeting, the board approved the referendum question asking for a bond of $420 million for the Nov. 5 ballot.
“I think we’ve taken our responsibility to listen to all community members very seriously and while we listened to the community members that certainly advocated for more and advocated for a potential operating rate referendum, I think this proposal most matches what we heard from our community,” said Shipley.
IPSD 204 board members said that while the referendum process has been long, it was necessary.
“All of this was done so that we can move forward in a meaningful way as financial stewards, ensuring that whatever we are asking from the community is being asked based on data,” said Supna Jain, IPSD 204 board member.
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