Center Cass Results: Tax Hike Goes Down

DARIEN, IL – The proposed tax increase in Center Cass School District 66 appeared to be losing at the ballot box Tuesday.

According to results as of 9:25 p.m., 2,040, or 60 percent, were against the tax hike, while 1,352, or 40 percent were in favor.

The district, which includes parts of Darien and Downers Grove, says its tax rate is lower than most elementary districts in DuPage County.

Even with the tax hike under consideration, its rate would still remain in the bottom half, according to the district.

The proposed tax increase is expected to bring in $3 million more a year.

The district contends its finances are troubled and that it needs to remodel Lakeview Junior High. It said its technology infrastructure is failing and its curricular materials have not been updated in years.

Employees have received little professional learning aside from college classes, the district says. It also maintains that the cost of everything has gone up in the last five years.

"D66 is simply trying to meet the state requirements for curriculum, instruction, personnel, facilities and a recommended fund balance," the district said in a newsletter earlier this year.

Opponents say the tax increase would be a gut punch to seniors living on fixed incomes. And Darien Alderman Eric Gustafson suggests that Center Cass, Cass District 63 and Darien District 61 combine to save money, an idea with which tax hike supporters disagree.

The opponents also note that Center Cass administrators make more money than state and DuPage County averages. The district says it employs fewer administrators per student.

The critics also point to teacher salaries in Center Cass, which are higher than the average for DuPage County's elementary districts.