A letter to an opponent of the District 66 referendum

To the person who posted the “Vote No” signs outside our schools:

Have you thought about the students your decision is affecting? Have you listened to your son say how hot he was at school because the air conditioner stopped working? Have you had to tell your daughter she won’t be able to run track in her eighth grade season because her school district can’t afford to pay the state dues? Have you had to scramble to figure out what to do with your kids because the school day is now 30 minutes shorter? Have you attended a school board meeting and listened to the board member holding back tears as she asks for a motion to terminate eight teachers?

You may say this is not your problem because you do not have kids attending schools in Center Cass School District 66. You may say that you don’t care about a decrease in your home value. You may say you do not want your property taxes to go up.

To which I say our communities are only as good as our schools. Although you may not care about the decrease in your home value, are you worried about the caliber of folks who will become your neighbors if home values decline? Did you know folks 65 and older are eligible for a senior exemption on their property taxes?

Are you aware that in 2014, Prairieview Elementary School (the third through fifth grade building adjacent to Plainfield Road in Downers Grove) had bonds come due? At that time, the school board had to decide whether to hold a referendum to renew the bonds or opt to give the community a tax cut. That school board opted to give the community a tax cut.

Was that the right decision? Probably not. Prices continue to rise. Keeping the status quo is always easier than asking for more money. Regardless, for the past eight years, community members have benefited from the lower tax rates. However, that cannot continue.

In June 2022, the community voted “No” to a limiting tax rate increase. Did you know that as a gesture of good faith, Center Cass is now asking for a lower rate increase in the November election? The district is striving to find a middle ground.

On Nov. 8, Center Cass is asking the community to increase the rate from $2.14 per $100 of a property’s equalized assessed value to $2.55. It is important to note this calculation is based on your assessed property value. This is not the same thing as your home value found on Zillow or Redfin.

As an example, a home with a fair cash property value of $300,000, which would be assessed at approximately $92,000 with a homestead exemption, can expect a property tax increase of $31 a month.

If the referendum does not pass, the state likely will come in and take control. This fact was all but confirmed at a special board meeting this month. This likely would mean eliminating those eight teachers in schools that are already operating bare bones and not meeting students’ needs. It also could mean closing school libraries and removing the curriculum students love so much such as art, music and band. It definitely would mean the community no longer gets to decide what its schools will look like.

Instead of voting “Yes,” you may say Center Cass should merge with another school district. The surrounding districts, however, already pay more in property taxes so our tax rate would go up anyway if that is the path on which the communities decide.

You may be angry. I know I am. We all wish we weren’t in this situation. We are all screaming for fiscal accountability. Hearing our cry, in response, the school board is evaluating options to move from a cash basis to a modified cash basis accounting method so the large sum of early tax dollars the district receives prior to the close of the fiscal year on June 30 is accounted for more accurately. This will prevent falsely inflating cash balances in the future, which is especially important when discussing district finances with individuals at different financial literacy levels.

Would it have been better if Center Cass had always recorded their funds using the modified cash basis accounting method to avoid accidentally masking a growing problem? Yes. Would that have changed the fact that the district, which receives 90% of its funding from local property taxes, needs more funds to educate the 21st century student? No. This request for a property tax increase would have just come earlier in our history.

No one wants to pay more in taxes. But our society is based on helping others. Young folks pay into Medicare even though they do not immediately (or potentially ever) benefit from it. Even though your children may no longer be school aged-children or perhaps you never had children, we need your assistance to educate the future generation.

If I still have not convinced you, please come to our schools. Meet our children. Educate yourself about the tax rate of neighboring communities. Join the school board. Be informed. Don’t base your decision on one red sign.

Lyndy Januszewski