'No' Vote Would Protect Education in HP: Letter

The following letter was written and submitted by Meno Joseph Passini.

The District 112 Referendum issue has been hijacked and turned into a very divisive issue. I remember filling out a District 112 online questionnaire a few years ago about closing unneeded and underutilized schools to save money. Now its turned into educational revolution at any cost. If we are going to spend $200 million on one school site on one side of town where the majority of children are going to have to ride the bus, then I ask, ”Where is the saving?” How did we go from saving some money to this? I have lived inHighland Park and Highwood my entire life. My siblings and I received great educations in the Highland Park school system. If we are going to spend $200 million, it should be on the neighborhood school model. This magnet,big box school, is Not the answer to the original question or to our student’s needs. The proposed large campus of 1,900 is too large and overwhelming for the age group being proposed. Talking about pods just shows how little concern the planners have from a child’s perspective. This isn’t Star Wars! A child, at that age only has so much patience, concentration and energy. Sitting on a long bus ride everyday takes away from the child’s ability to learn. In short, the child’s time would be better spent in the classroom. The Yes vote keeps saying that Chicago parents gladly place their children on a 45 min. bus ride to the Magnet or Charter School. They have no choice. The Chicago Board of Education allowed the neighborhood schools to die. Also, if these large, out of the way schools are the answer, why are there No signs on the yards of new residents to Highland Park? The 112 Board had special legislation passed in Springfield to bypass financial safeguards to protect against huge school referendums. The 112 Board also miscalculated their projected revenues. This shortfall will require yet another referendum down the road. Does anyone know if District 112 has calculated the lower tax revenue to be generated from the multiple proposed TIF districts that City of Highland Park is implementing? TIF districts last for 26 years and siphon tax dollars away from the school districts. Those lower tax revenues will have to be made up by District 112 homeowners. One knows that if the Board can’t even get the numbers right, there are many overstated benefits to this plan. All of this shuffling around of all of our students from kindergarten to 8th grade to save $4,000,000 per year. Any 5th grader could tell you spending over $200,000,000 to save $4,000,000 is a bad investment. Vote NO to protect Education in District 112.

Meno Joseph Passini