LEMONT, IL — This submission was shared by Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A Superintendent Dr. Courtney Orzel.
As the November 3 election approaches, Lemont-Bromberek Combined School District 113A continues to receive thoughtful questions about enrollment growth, school capacity, finances, property taxes, and the proposed limiting rate referendum.
We understand that residents want accurate information about how their tax dollars are used, why additional resources are being considered, and what the proposal would mean for the future of our schools.
The following questions and answers are intended to provide factual information, clarify common misunderstandings, and help residents make informed decisions.
This is an important distinction because the District's needs extend beyond constructing additional classrooms.
A building bond referendum would provide funding for construction, but it would not provide the ongoing operating revenue necessary to staff, maintain, and support those additional classrooms.
The District's proposal addresses two connected needs: additional physical space for students and the ongoing costs of operating those spaces. If approved, the proposed 36-cent limiting rate increase is estimated to generate approximately $6 million annually. The District's financial plan allocates that revenue to construction-related financing, additional teachers and support staff, utilities, and other operating expenses. The District anticipates approximately $40–45 million in capital costs for additions across all four schools. Those construction costs are only one component of the plan. Simply constructing classrooms without providing the resources to staff and operate them would not address the District's long-term enrollment challenges. The Board selected a limiting rate referendum to address both facility and operating needs through one coordinated financial plan.
We understand that residents have concerns about a permanent tax increase. It is important to consider this question in the context of how efficiently SD113A operates, the alternatives explored, and the district's history of fiscal responsibility.
If approved, this would be only the third permanent operating tax rate increase in SD113A in the last 50 years. This is not a request the district makes frequently or takes lightly. The Board and administration explored alternatives before determining that a permanent operating increase would address both the construction and ongoing operational costs associated with continued enrollment growth. SD113A spends approximately $6,500 less per student annually than the Illinois average.
With approximately 2,730 students, that represents nearly $18 million less in annual spending than a hypothetical district serving the same number of students at the statewide average expenditure. Even when factoring in the approximately $6 million in additional annual revenue proposed through the referendum, SD113A would still be operating at approximately $12 million less annually than that statewide comparison, assuming other spending remains unchanged.
Additionally, SD113A's annual school property tax commitment remains among the lowest in the surrounding area, based on the district's comparison of local school tax rates. This is an important consideration when examining both the proposed increase and the district's overall financial picture. The proposed increase is permanent because the needs it addresses are ongoing. While constructing additional classrooms is a one-time expense, staffing, maintaining, and operating those classrooms requires sustainable funding year after year.
Alternatives such as using reserves, repurposing existing spaces, and other facility and financing options were considered, but they do not fully address both the immediate space needs and ongoing operating costs. SD113A operates with per-pupil expenditures among the lowest in Illinois while all four schools perform exceptionally well.
The District has a limited history of voter approval for additional operating tax authority. Prior to the 2021 operating rate increase approved by voters, the last approved operating rate increase was in 1977. Voters approved a construction bond referendum in 1994 for the construction of OQMS, but that was not an operating limiting rate increase.
In 2021, voters approved additional operating tax authority at no cost to the tax payers. The District's audited financial report documents a new limiting rate of $2.124 beginning with the 2021 levy year.
The measure supported Central School's reopening, full-day kindergarten, and class-size needs. In 2026, there is now a proposed 36-cent increase for voters to consider a new limiting rate estimated to generate $6 million in additional annual revenue.
We understand this question. No one wants to pay more in property taxes, especially when families, seniors, and residents on fixed incomes are already facing rising costs. These concerns are real, reasonable, and deserve to be acknowledged. The reality is that Illinois relies heavily on local property taxes to fund public education. Unlike states that provide a larger share of school funding at the state level, Illinois places significant responsibility on local communities to support their public schools. Our community also does not have significant commercial or industry property, so much of the local tax burden falls on home owners. SD113A has worked to keep costs low while maintaining strong educational outcomes.
The district spends approximately $13,500 per student in operational expenditures, placing it among the lowest 20% of districts statewide, while all four SD113A schools have continuously performed exceptionally well academically. In other words, SD113A has consistently demonstrated that it can do more with less. The district has also maintained one of the lower school district tax rates in the surrounding area, earned the state's highest financial recognition for 14 consecutive years, and operates under a balanced budget policy.
However, enrollment has increased by approximately 26% over the past decade, and the district is now serving more students than ever before. While the district has continued to maximize existing resources, enrollment growth has created additional demands for classroom space, staffing, and operations. The November 3 referendum asks voters to consider additional funding to address those needs. If approved, the district plans to add 40 classrooms across its four schools and provide the staffing and operational resources associated with those additions.
If it does not pass, the district will continue operating within its existing facilities and available resources, with larger class sizes and fewer dedicated instructional spaces anticipated as enrollment grows. We recognize that any tax increase matters to our residents.
Our responsibility is to provide accurate information about the district's finances, the needs created by enrollment growth, and the potential impact of either outcome so every voter can make an informed decision.
The proposed $6 million is not an arbitrary figure. It was developed from projected financing, staffing, and operational costs associated with the expansion plan.
The District is proposing approximately 40 additional classrooms across its four schools, with 7 at Oakwood, 7 at River Valley, 14 at Central, and 12 at Old Quarry. These estimates account for the ongoing personnel and operational resources necessary to serve a growing student population.
The SD113A Board of Education has committed to adjusting the tax levy to ensure that the referendum generates only the additional $6 million needed to support the district's facility and operational needs. When the Board voted to place the referendum question on the ballot, the financial information required for the ballot language was nearly two years old. More current property assessment information was not yet available, as Cook County's second-installment tax bills had not been finalized.
When the Board adopts its tax levy in December, more current financial information will be available. This will allow the Board to make the necessary adjustments to minimize the impact on taxpayers while generating the additional $6 million. Importantly, this adjustment would be incorporated into the district's ongoing levy calculations rather than requiring an annual correction.
As a result, the actual tax rate increase is expected to be less than the 36 cents identified in the referendum question. The district's goal remains clear: to generate the funding necessary to address enrollment growth while minimizing the financial impact on taxpayers.
No. Taxing bodies in tax capped counties such as Cook and DuPage only receive additional tax dollars from new development, not from increases in existing property valuations.
Think of it this way: The school district can only collect so much property tax money each year. That limit doesn't automatically increase just because home values go up. For example, if your home's assessed value goes up 30%, the school district doesn't get 30% more money. Instead, the reassessment helps determine how the total tax bill is divided among homeowners. Some homeowners may pay more, while others may pay less, depending on how their property values changed compared to everyone else's. So even if your property taxes increase, the school district doesn't necessarily get a corresponding increase in funding.
Imagine the district can collect $100 from ten homeowners. The County reassesses their homes, and some are now worth more than others. The district is still limited to collecting that same $100, plus whatever small annual increase the law allows based on the rate of inflation. What changes is how much each homeowner contributes toward that total.
The key takeaway for a resident to remember is: "Your home's value can go up significantly without the school district receiving more money."
We understand that residents are encountering different interpretations of the District's finances, enrollment, tax rates, and referendum proposal, particularly on social media. We encourage everyone to attend Informational forums, ask questions, review the information, and examine the original sources. The District's financial information is not simply generated internally without outside oversight.
District finances are subject to independent annual audits, state financial reporting requirements, and review by outside financial professionals and credit rating agencies. Likewise, the District's enrollment projections are informed by independent demographic studies conducted in 2017, 2024, and 2026, in collaboration with the Village of Lemont and Lemont High School District 210.
It is important to distinguish between factual data, interpretations of that data, and opinions about the referendum.
Residents may reasonably disagree about the proposal, but financial figures and enrollment statistics should be evaluated using consistent, verifiable sources.
We encourage residents to consult the District's audited financial reports, official enrollment data, demographic studies, and published referendum materials rather than relying solely on individual social media posts. Our commitment is to provide accurate, transparent information so that every resident can make an informed decision.
The School District does not approve residential developments, issue building permits, establish zoning regulations, or determine how many homes may be constructed within the community.
Those decisions are made by the appropriate municipal and governmental authorities, not the Board of Education.
However, SD113A does participate in the Village of Lemont's Technical Review Committee (TRC) process, where the District has an opportunity to review proposed developments, provide information, and communicate potential impacts on school enrollment and facilities. It is also important to understand that the District's enrollment growth is not simply the result of new subdivisions.
Growth has come from several sources, including:
● Existing homes being purchased by younger families with school-age children.
● Students transferring from private and parochial schools into SD113A. The District has enrolled 166 such students over the past three years.
● New residential construction and families moving into the community.
● Continued changes in the number of school-age children living in existing neighborhoods. In fact, the District has already experienced record enrollment growth before seeing the full student impact of Glen Eagles, one of the area's larger residential developments.
The District's responsibility is to educate the children who live within its boundaries, regardless of how or when those families arrived. While SD113A does not control residential development, it is responsible for monitoring enrollment, planning for future needs, and ensuring that students have appropriate learning environments.
The District has taken several steps over many years to accommodate enrollment growth before asking voters to consider additional resources. Most notably, Central School reopened in 2022 to create additional classroom capacity and reduce class sizes. Since that time, approximately 300 additional students have enrolled.
The District has also conducted three independent demographic studies, repurposed existing instructional spaces, adjusted staffing, explored alternative facilities, and evaluated options ranging from modular classrooms to construction of an entirely new school. Despite these efforts, enrollment has continued to increase beyond earlier projections. The District is now experiencing record enrollment, and all four schools are using space that was not originally intended for regular classroom instruction. The proposed additions are intended to address current space limitations while preparing for projected enrollment growth.
SD113A's strong financial position is the result of years of disciplined budgeting and careful financial management. The District maintains a balanced budget policy and has earned the Illinois State Board of Education's highest financial recognition category for 14 consecutive years.
The District currently maintains approximately 232 days of operating reserves. Under the proposed financial plan, the Board anticipates committing approximately $5–10 million of those reserves toward the construction project, reducing reserves to approximately 180 days, the base minimum required to maintain financial recognition status. Reserves are important for financial stability, cash flow, unexpected expenditures, and long-term planning.
However, reserves are a finite resource. The District does not have enough in reserves to build the classrooms that they currently need, nor does reserves sustainably support ongoing annual expenses such as salaries, benefits, utilities, and building operations indefinitely. Having strong financial reserves does not eliminate the need to plan for the recurring costs associated with a growing student population. The referendum is not intended to resolve a financial crisis. It is intended to provide the additional facilities and ongoing resources necessary to serve increasing enrollment.
Yes. New residential construction adds property to the District's tax base and can generate additional revenue. However, new homes can also bring additional students, and the cost of educating those students can exceed the additional revenue generated by the homes. For perspective, SD113A's operational expenditure is approximately $13,537 per student annually.
Using an illustrative $3,500 annual SD113A tax contribution from a home, it would take approximately four such homes to equal the annual operating cost of educating one student. That comparison does not account for the cost of building additional classrooms or expanding facilities.
Additionally, under Illinois' Property Tax Extension Limitation Law (PTELL), annual increases in existing-property tax extensions are restricted, while new property is treated separately. The District receives a one time impact fee from each home, and that doesn't begin to cover the cost of educating a student. The District considers new development revenue in its financial planning, but that revenue alone is not projected to fund the additional construction, staffing, and operating costs associated with continued enrollment growth.
Hiring additional teachers requires available classrooms in which those teachers can work. Currently, SD113A does not have sufficient unused classroom space across its four schools to accommodate continued enrollment growth. The District has already converted or repurposed areas such as learning resource centers, multipurpose rooms, and other shared instructional spaces.
Adding staff without additional classrooms would not solve the underlying capacity issue. The proposed referendum is designed to address both needs: physical classroom space and the personnel required to serve students in those spaces.
If the referendum is not approved, SD113A will continue educating the students who reside within its boundaries using its existing facilities and available resources. However, continued enrollment growth would require the District to evaluate additional adjustments. Those could include larger class sizes over time, further repurposing of existing instructional areas, fewer dedicated spaces for specialized programs, and additional operational or facility alternatives.
Without additional classrooms, the District would also have less flexibility to add teaching staff as enrollment increases. The District has projected that, without additional space, average class sizes could eventually reach approximately 32 students at the elementary level and 37 at the middle school level under its planning assumptions. These are projections, not current District-wide averages. The Board and administration would continue to evaluate available options based on enrollment, educational needs, financial resources, and facility capacity.
The District encourages all residents to attend an Informational meeting, review its published financial information, enrollment studies, facility plans, and referendum materials. The official website includes tax impact information including a tax impact calculator, presentations, videos, and answers to frequently asked questions.
SD113A Future Planning and Referendum Information Complete District FAQ Residents are encouraged to submit additional questions directly to the District.
Closing Thoughts
For years, SD113A has demonstrated that strong academic outcomes and responsible financial management can go hand in hand.
Our schools have experienced significant enrollment growth while maintaining comparatively low spending, strong financial reserves, and outstanding student achievement. The question before the community is how the District will continue to provide appropriate learning environments, reasonable class sizes, and the educational opportunities students need as enrollment continues to increase.
The November 3 referendum is one proposed approach to addressing those challenges. We encourage every resident to examine the information, ask questions, and make an informed decision. Our commitment remains the same: to serve our students, support our staff, responsibly manage taxpayer resources, and plan for the future of SD113A.
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