D113A Board To Discuss Possible Referendum For April Election

LEMONT, IL — After the failure of a referendum in the fall, the District 113A Board of Education will discuss placing another referendum question on the ballot for the April 6 election.

In November, the district said a referendum question to address many of District 113A’s most pressing needs fell just short of passing at 53 percent "No" to 47 percent "Yes".

According to the district, the new referendum being considered by the board would meet the same goals as the question in November. A successful passage in April would allow the district to reopen Central School for the 2022-23 school year, reduce class sizes across all grade levels and add critical and competitive programs, such as full day kindergarten.

Due to debt being paid off for prior capital projects, a successful referendum would not lead to an overall tax increase in the District 113A portion of tax bills, the district said.

“While we were encouraged by the nearly 7,000 community members who supported our proposed solutions, the November referendum did not quite receive enough votes to pass,” Damon Ascolani, board president, said in a release. “Over the past month, district leaders and the board have been evaluating various options for moving forward. The district is running out of usable space and our pressing issue of large class sizes is not going to go away. We believe we must act quickly to address these needs and ensure students continue to have access to an exceptional educational experience in our schools. When schools are successful, the entire community benefits.”

The district said its primary needs are tied to the recent growth in the Lemont-Bromberek community over the past several years, leading to overcrowding and space challenges that increase with enrollment each year.

The district said its class sizes are already well above the state average, and growth will likely continue over the next decade due to development in the community. District 113A said it would also like to offer programming, such as full-day kindergarten, which would make it more competitive and desirable for new families.

The Board of Education will discuss the issue at a special meeting on Jan. 6 at 6:30 p.m.