Referendum Proposal Needs to Be Scaled Down: Letter

The following letter was written and submitted by Ellen W. Levy.

The more I think about the proposed referendum, the more ridiculous it gets. What do we get for our almost 200 million dollar price tag? We get a gigantic school, an erosion in the concept of neighborhood schools, and a huge tax increase which promises to go up for the next 30 years. Such a bargain. First, the current research shows that, educationally, children do much better in smaller schools. Second, many families have settled in Highland Park because of the neighborhood schools. Third, we are spending way more money than we can afford, in a town that already has a larger tax burden than any of it’s surrounding communities.

I realize that some changes have to take place. Our school population is dwindling and some of our beautiful old school buildings are outdated and badly in need of repairs. I understand that some schools will need to be closed. But we must preserve the neighborhood school concept as much as possible. The west side of HP really gets a slap in the face. That neighborhood will end up with NO primary school at all but at the same time bearing the brunt of all the traffic, congestion and headaches of this proposed big box school. Everyone of us, either as a child or a parent, realizes that what makes a school successful is the teachers and the programs offered. That’s where the money needs to go. Given the dire and uncertain financial future of the state of Il, this is a time when we need to conserve expenditures. With this amount of added tax burden, going back to the community and asking for more money in the future would be impossible. And you can bet your bottom dollar that this will cost more than 200 million before it’s finished. Not to mention the appalling amounts of money already spent on consultants and P.R. firms.

The school board has presented an “all or nothing” approach. I resent being held hostage.

Why are we building more buildings when we already have more than we need and can afford?

Let’s work with what we have and scale down this proposal so it positively impacts the community educationally, socially and financially.

Ellen W Levy - Highland Park