District 181 Welcomes Comments About Referendum

HINSDALE, IL — The District 181 Board of Education recently approved a settlement agreement to end litigation that had delayed the sale of bonds needed to finance construction of a new Hinsdale Middle School. The Hinsdale Middle School had been approved following a successful referendum in November 2016.

According to a release, the settlement agreement included a clause that a Bond Referendum Review and Accountability Committee be formed and that the Committee provide an opportunity to accept written public comments and questions related to the referendum.

"Throughout the referendum process, we had gladly welcomed comments and questions from the community. Even though the referendum passed and we are now well into construction of a new HMS, we certainly continue to invite comments and questions. This portion of the agreement calls for us to formally announce that opportunity is available now through July 14," Superintendent Dr. Don White said in a release.

In a statement to the community provided on June 2, Dr. White and Board President Jennifer Burns had said, "The three-day publication error which led to the litigation was not caused by the District, and the District accepts no responsibility for the error, as clearly stated in the settlement agreement. What the District does commit to is the establishment of a committee… to be comprised of three Board members to review any errors or omissions that may have occurred regarding the publication notice for the referendum, as well as the District’s past communications with the community regarding the referendum and HMS construction project."

According to the release, the statement went onto explain that the committee cannot change the terms or funding model of the referendum, and they cannot change the structuring of the bonds.

"Their recommendations will be focused only on the period leading up to the referendum," the statement read.

Individuals who wish to submit to the committee questions or comments related to the Nov. 8, 2016 Bond Referendum can do so in one of three ways, according to the release. They can send an email to Director of Communications Bridget McGuiggan at bmcguiggan@d181.org. They can send a letter via mail to the District 181 Administration Center, Attn: Director of Communications Bridget McGuiggan, 115 W. 55th Street, Clarendon Hills, IL 60514. They can also submit the online form found on the District's website at www.d181.org > Our District > HMS Construction. Per the settlement agreement, the deadline to submit public comments or questions is July 14.

A public meeting of the Bond Referendum Review and Accountability Committee will be held July 26 at the District's Administration Center beginning at 1 p.m, according to the release. The meeting will include a review of public questions and comments submitted between June 28 and July 14, as well as discussion about the development of questions to be addressed in the committee's report, which will be completed by Sept. 29.

Image via District 181.