$49M Bond Referendum Proposal For District 41: Info Sessions Planned

GLEN ELLYN, IL — Residents are invited to attend three virtual sessions that will delve into Glen Ellyn School District 41's plans for a $49 million bond referendum questiond that is set to appear on the ballot Nov. 8.

The sessions will be held at the following times:

• Sept. 21 at 6:30 p.m.
• Oct. 4 at 6:30 p.m.
• Oct. 13 at 6:30 p.m.

On Aug. 15, District 41 board members voted in favor of placing the bond referendum question on the general election ballot. The vote came after surveys indicated support for the district making changes to address what its website calls "significant space issues."

To achieve this, they would use funds to expand Churchill School with an early learning center and construct an elementary school at the former site of Spalding School near the intersection of Main and 1st Streets. Spalding School closed in 1978 and was razed in 1997.

Resolving the ongoing space issues would help the district make long-awaited improvements that include reducing classroom sizes, adding all-day kindergarten and expanding opportunities for specialized learning. Subsequent boundary changes would likely take effect to accommodate the addition of all-day kindergarten, per the District 41 website.

In addition to the $49 million bond referendum, District 41 plans to tap into $18 million in current fund reserves to cover the proposed $67 million price tag for the developments. It's estimated that the average tax impact would be $276 for homes valued at $400,000. Click the link to calculate your tax estimate.

Here's how the District 41 referendum question will appear on the ballot this November:

“Shall the Board of Education of Glen Ellyn School District Number 41, DuPage County, Illinois, build and equip a school building on the Spalding property, build and equip an early learning center addition to the Churchill Elementary School Building, alter, repair and equip existing school buildings, including constructing improvements to provide full-day kindergarten, additional classrooms, additional space for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) activities, updated infrastructure and collaborative learning spaces, improve sites and issue bonds of said School District to the amount of $49,000,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?”

To attend the upcoming virtual information sessions, residents can RSVP online or contact Erika Krehbiel at ekrehbiel@d41.org or by calling 630-534-7218.