Settlement Reached, Construction Can Begin On Hinsdale Middle School

HINSDALE, IL — Construction on Hinsdale Middle School will begin as District 181 reaches a settlement agreement with five Clarendon Hills residents who challenged the validity of the referendum that would rebuild Hinsdale Middle School.

Distict 181 Board of Education released a statement Wednesday night, sharing that they had successfully reached a settlement with Andrew Schmidt, Kirsten Schmidt, Karen Weber, Bradford Tocher and Edward Corcoran.

"We respect the individual rights of our fellow citizens and are pleased to have settled this matter with the best interests of the community in mind," the statement read.

According to a FAQ posted on Hinsdale District 181's website, the lawsuit was filed due to an error in the filing of the referendum for the construction of the school. The DuPage County Election Commission is responsible for the publication of a required public notice of a referendum. This notice, by law, must be posted no more than 30 days and not less than 10 days before an election. An error caused the noticed to be published 33 days before the election, three days too early.

According to the website, the Illinois government passed an amendment to a bill that would ensure the validity of referenda approved by voters in November 2016 in DuPage County. The amendment changed rule of public notice from 30 days before an election, to allowing public notice 35 days before the election.

The referendum successfully passed in November, according to the website. The five Clarendon Hills residents then challenged the validity of the referendum, and a court battle ensued in December.

Construction planning on the new middle school can now begin.

For more information, visit https://www.d181.org/our-distr....

Renderings via District 181.