Northbrook School Districts 27 and 28 seek voters' OK April 1 for millions in upgrades
Two Northbrook elementary school districts are seeking funds from taxpayers, and voters will have a chance to say yes or no in the April 1 Cook County Consolidated Elections.
Northbrook School Districts 27 and 28 each have a referendum on the ballot that, if approved, will increase property taxes for the purpose of funding millions of dollars in school infrastructure improvements.
Northbrook District 27
Northbrook School District 27, which is located in the northwest corner of the village, is asking voters to approve the establishment of a debt service extension base, also known as DSEB.
The referendum reads: 'Shall the debt service extension base under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law for Northbrook Elementary School District Number 27, Cook County, Illinois, for payment of principal and interest on limited bonds be established at $2,655,099 for the 2025 levy year and all subsequent levy years?'
If approved, property taxes paid to the district will increase in order to generate an additional $2.7 million annually for the school district. According to District 27, the owner of a $600,000 home can expect their taxes paid to the school district to increase by about $422.
While most school districts in Illinois already have a DSEB established in order to levy taxes for paying off loans or bond debt, District 27 does not, said Superintendent John Deiter.
'Once we have a DSEB established, it's something our district will always have,' he said in an explanation of the referendum on the district's website.
Previously, the district addressed its infrastructure needs through its budget, Deiter said. The budget is largely dependent on existing property taxes that are levied each year.
'We're at a point now that, with so many needs coming up at once, we are missing this option of a DSEB and feel it's time to ask for that,' he said.
The district plans to use the additional tax dollars to address infrastructure and safety needs at its three schools. This includes roofing and HVAC replacements, electrical system upgrades, police-accessible security cameras and other safety upgrades, and upgraded classroom technology and wireless infrastructure, according to the district.
Additional plans include the following.
Hickory Point School. Plans call for constructing four classrooms for early childhood, special education and daycare, and to create additional multi-use space within the school for physical education, lunch and after-school programming, referendum information states.
Wood Oaks Junior High School. More lanes will be added for student drop-off and more parking spaces will be created, according to the district.
The citizens pro-referendum committee 'Yes to Improve Safety & Learning in District 27' was created and filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections on Feb. 18. No financial contributions had been recorded as of early March.
Additional information about the referendum can be found at www.nb27.org/referendum.
Northbrook District 28
In Northbrook School District 28, which covers the northeast corner of the village and consists of three elementary schools and one junior high, voters are being asked to approve a $94.9 million bond referendum to pay for renovations of three schools and the construction of a new school building.
If approved, property taxes would increase in order to pay off the bonds. The increase for a home valued at $500,000 is calculated at approximately $630 per year over the 25-year life of the bonds, the district said.
If approved, the district plans to replace Meadowbrook School at an estimated cost of $56 million. A new, two-story building will be constructed behind the existing school, which would remain open during construction, according to the district.
Other schools will undergo various renovations, fire alarm upgrades and security improvements.
At Greenbriar School, plans also call for building a new classroom wing behind the gym and building a new cafeteria and flexible auditorium, stage and commons area where the existing classroom wing along Greenbriar Lane is located. Updated playgrounds, new parking north and east of the school, and turning the existing multipurpose room/cafeteria and adjacent classrooms into a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) lab and music and art classrooms is proposed as well.
New cafeterias and flexible space are also proposed for Westmoor School and Northbrook Junior High.
In total, the estimated cost of the projects is $115 million. In addition to the $94.9 million bond issue, the district plans to use $20 million in operating funds on hand to pay for the remaining improvements, officials said.
'If funding is approved, then the district will work with architects to engage staff, students and the community to design a new Meadowbrook School and pursue more detailed drawings for the additions mentioned,' said Chief School Business Official Jessica Donato in a District 28 podcast discussing the referendum.
If the referendum does not pass, officials will need to reevaluate district priorities, said Superintendent Jason Pearson, also during a podcast episode.
'Some of the space is limited at our schools and it's really impacting our educational programming,' he said. 'We will have to evaluate whether or not to continue that programming, shift priorities or change the way we deliver programming.'
A citizens committee formed in support of the referendum had raised $16,000 as of March 6, according to contributions reported to the Illinois State Board of Elections. The bulk of the donations—$10,000—were contributed by Itasca-based DLA Architects, the firm hired by District 28 to complete the 10-year facilities master plan identifying the building improvements in the referendum plan.
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