Uncertain week for supporters of District 66 referendum

It’s been an unsettling week for supporters of a tax referendum in Center Cass School District 66.

Supporters went to bed on Election Night believing the referendum was defeated by a razor-thin nine-vote margin. But over the next few days, the referendum was winning, then losing and now winning again.

According to unofficial results posted Tuesday afternoon, 2,936 voters supported the question while 2,915 voters opposed it. Mail-in votes will be counted through Nov. 22, as long as the ballots were postmarked by Nov. 8.

The referendum asked voters if they supported an increase in the district’s property tax limiting rate. The question was soundly defeated in the June primary election.

The district plans to request a recount if, after the final results are in, the referendum falls short.

District 66 Superintendent Andrew Wise said the decision is too close to call, though he and others are feeling the immense weight of the looming final results.

“Each day just gets harder, and I don’t know how else to explain it,” Wise said. “As an educator, it’s exhausting when you can’t get kids the help they need, and it weighs on you. I really hope, not just for the district but for the community, that this referendum passes.”

Illinois does not require automatic recounts, but a losing party may request a recount if they received at least 95% of the vote of the winning side. If the count remains as close as it appears to be, the district would qualify to request a recount and must do so within five days of the announcement of certified results.

A requested recount in Illinois cannot directly change the outcome of the election, but can be used to contest an election, pursuant to Illinois law. Regardless of the results, the margin of winning or losing has shrunk significantly since the June referendum, and Wise said he thinks that is because more voters were aware of the district’s financial situation this time around.

“We don’t bring enough [money] in to educate a kid to today’s standards,” Wise said. “We contribute all we’ve got, but we can’t spend what we don’t have.”

For parents in the district, the waiting period brings about intense uncertainty as to their child’s education. They are finding support in one another as they watch the votes roll in, and are hoping mail-in ballots help push the referendum ahead.

Robin Oberle, a parent in the district, said she and several other moms in the community watched election results together Nov. 8 as a way to support the many emotions that surfaced for each of them. Despite feeling discouraged by the unofficial count, Oberle said her oldest daughter’s optimism that the community will support the district has kept her going.

“This whole thing makes you realize how important voting is, and how important research and facts are,” Oberle said. “This referendum directly affects me, but some people without kids can easily vote no and it begs the question in my life, what am I voting for selfishly that doesn’t impact me?”

Oberle said beyond the results, she believes the community needs to heal from the disdain this election cycle has caused. She often thinks back to the tornado that devastated the community almost 18 months ago and how quickly neighbors came to the aid of one another – a stark contrast to the division she sees now.

Oberle’s optimism lies in mail-in ballots, many of which are still being counted. She said she feels many mail-in ballots were cast in favor of the referendum, and as they continue to come in she hopes that trend continues.

“I hope it passes and that then there can be healing in our community,” Oberle said. “We had it so good, and we took it for granted. This could literally come down to one vote.”

If, in the end, the referendum fails, Wise said he expects more resignations and deeper cuts. He will recommend the district go back out in the spring with yet another referendum, he said, but with the timeline the district would be looking at, he fears it may be too little, too late.

On the other hand, if the referendum passes, Wise said the first thing to do would be to thank the community for its support and then move to immediately reinstate extracurriculars and a normal-length school day to counteract some of the cuts that already have been made. He said $1.5 million would instantly be put in the district’s reserve account, and the district would do everything it promised to get back on solid financial footing and keep it that way.

“I truly believe the majority of our community wants a good school district. I just don’t know if the majority of the community wants to pay for it,” Wise said. “The school and community are one. It just seems people forget that we’re connected and one cannot thrive unless we both thrive. We are in this together … and that’s what I think gets lost in the percentages and dollar signs and votes – we’re in this together.”