D86 Athletic and Activity Cuts Hinge on April 2 Referendum

Football, marching band, swimming, wrestling, drama club, National Honor Society, cheerleading, poms, yearbook club and more... these are just some of the 70+ cuts that have been made at Hinsdale South and Hinsdale Central High Schools. Most of these cuts can be reversed if District 86 residents vote YES from March 18 (early voting) through April 2 to the reduced $139 million referendum. Not only will the cuts be reversed, both high schools will get critical safety and infrastructure upgrades and important learning spaces will be modernized.

District 86 is ranked #7 in the state by niche.com (which uses data from the U.S. Department of Education) and the district’s two high schools, Hinsdale Central and Hinsdale South, were ranked #13 and #20 by U.S. News & World Report in 2018. However, these rankings are at risk.

If the April 2 referendum doesn’t pass, the money saved by cancelling popular student programs will be applied to critical structural and safety needs at both schools. Parents of students who will no longer be able to participate in these programs are worried about the impact program cuts will have on their children’s high school experience and college futures.

“Our sons, Central sophomore and junior students next year, are members of the football team and we view football as a critical component of their high school experience,” explains D'Ann Adams, Hinsdale resident. “Our family has made the difficult decision to move out of state if this referendum doesn’t pass to allow them continue to play high school football.”

If passed, the afore-mentioned student programs will be reinstated and referendum funds will be applied toward long overdue repairs to both high schools, including, but not limited to, critical security and safety upgrades plus substantial infrastructure fixes, new science and technology labs (STEM), ADA compliance and fine and performing arts facilities.

The last time a District 86 referendum passed was in 1962 to build Hinsdale South. Since then, both schools’ facilities have deteriorated, and experts are concerned the district’s top-rated status is at risk. Breakdown of the current referendum projects can be found here: https://www.d86voteyes.org/list-of-projects.

The referendum represents a modest annual increase in taxes per household:

Home value Annual tax increase

$250,000 $136 per year

$500,000 $283 per year

$750,000 $429 per year

By comparison, in November 2018, other school districts in the Chicago area have recently passed higher referendums to improve schools – at a greater cost to residents. These include:

• Elmhurst - $168 million approved. Average annual tax increase: $950 per year.
• Park Ridge - $195 million approved. Average annual tax increase: $455 per year.
• Glen Ellyn - $660 per year school tax increase

District 86 residents and real estate professionals are also concerned about the impact a NO vote to the April 2 referendum will have on real estate values.

“As a real estate professional listing and selling in Darien and District 86, the impact of a NO vote on the referendum will adversely affect real estate values,” explains Linda Ryan, real estate broker, Coldwell Banker. “Being part of a community means be supportive of public education. Once our school districts are unable to provide quality programs and education, our property values will certainly suffer.”

The D86 BOE recommended an initial referendum in November 2018 to fund $166 million in improvements. The referendum failed: 46% yes to 54% no votes. The BOE had warned that failure of the referendum would require extensive cuts for the 2019/2020 school year to fund critical life/safety improvements required to bring the facilities into compliance of governing codes. The BOE also indicated that they would go to referendum and if it passed, most of the activity and sports cuts could be reversed.

By law, funds from the bond sale authorized by a successful referendum can only be used for the projects as specified in the referendum language. No money will go towards teacher salaries. The projects proposed are part of the District’s Master Facilities Plan (MFP), the long-term facilities planning document that is the result of an extensive analysis completed in conjunction with parents, community members, teachers, industry experts, board members and administrators.

The upcoming referendum is equitable to both South and Central. South represents 35% of the students but will receive 43% of the referendum dollars.