District 200 Early Childhood Center Referendum Gets Green Light

WHEATON, IL ---It's been a long road for Wheaton-Warrenville School District 200 in their efforts to build a new early Childhood Center, but voters showed overwhelming support for the matter when the polls closed Tuesday evening. The referendum question received a "yes" vote from 72 percent of voters, according to results from the DuPage County Election Commission.

The question appeared on the ballot as "Shall the Board of Education of Wheaton-Warrenville Community Unit School District Number 200, DuPage County, Illinois, build and equip a new early childhood center without levying a separate, special property tax to finance the costs thereof?"

Election Results

Yes-----24,554 votes

No -----9,600 votes

Funds for the early learning center had been a hot-button issue for voters. The school board decided to put the referendum question on the November ballot after a resident filed a lawsuit against the school district. The lawsuit alleged that the school district was in violation of Illinois law when it began moving forward with a plan to fund the project by issuing lease certificates without getting voter approval.

According to the District 200 website, the project, which initially had a $17.6 million price tag when it was denied by voters in 2017, is now estimated to cost roughly $15 million. School board officials say Jefferson Early Childhood Center, which was built in 1958, is not ADA compliant, lacks central heating and cooling, and is short on spaces for students to get therapy.

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