More than half of the voters who live within Golf School District 67 voted Tuesday to approve a $26 million referendum that called for the district to pay for capital and safety improvements in the two-school district.
According to unofficial election results from the Cook County clerk’s office, 53% of voters chose to approve the referendum. About 47% voted against the measure.
The question on the ballot asked: “Shall the Board of Education of Golf School District Number 67, Cook County, Illinois, alter, repair and equip the Hynes Elementary and Golf Middle School Buildings and improve the sites thereof, including but not limited to improving safety and security, replacing roofs and HVAC systems, removing asbestos, improving accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act and eliminating mobile classrooms at Hynes Elementary School, and issue bonds of said School District to the amount of $26,300,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?”
Superintendent Susan Coleman told Pioneer Press she was pleased with passage of the referendum.
“This vote of confidence underscores our community’s commitment to safe, functional, and enriching learning environments for every student,” she said Wednesday. “With this support, we can move forward with essential improvements that will benefit our schools, staff and students for years. We recognize our responsibility and we are committed to using these funds with diligence and transparency.”
In the days immediately following the election, a “thank you” message was posted on the district website.
“This referendum is critical, as it addresses very important infrastructure challenges we have,” said Coleman. “Our roofs leak, there’s mold in the insulation, they need to be replaced. Our HVAC system is not reliable, and antiquated in some of the systems, and we have asbestos all over – it’s in our walls, it’s in our classrooms. We’re working on the envelope of our building to make it safe to work and learn in.”
With the bond issuance that would come from the approved binding referendum, Coleman said a home in the district valued at $400,000 would see a tax increase of $394 per year, or $33 month, for 20 years.
Coleman said the district has invested more than $250,000 in what she called “very expensive Band-Aids” to try to make things work. But a school district life safety report warns that all of the tiles and carpeting in both of the district’s school buildings – Golf middle and Hynes elementary schools – must be removed due to asbestos glue, especially in the library at Golf.
Collectively, the two schools enroll about 650 students and have just under 100 staff members.
The superintendent said next steps will be to work with architects and engineers to design a plan for overall improvements, which will also include making the bathrooms and nurses’ office handicapped accessible.
“We also don’t have a safe and secure entrance at our elementary [school] building,” Coleman said of Hynes, adding that security cameras are also inefficient. “And we’d like to get our kids out of trailers.”
Two trailers have been used on school property for six years, she said. One currently operates as a music classroom and the other is used by the district’s tech department.
Infrastructure concerns were first raised in the district in 2018, and were put in a building bond referendum in 2022.
“That failed and now our problems are seven years older,” Coleman said. “After it failed in 2022, I worked 18 months with [supporting and opposing] groups to come up with the plan we have now.”
Members of the “vote no” group were unavailable for comment following the election.
“This is a bare bones plan, the bare minimum of what we need to do to keep our schools safe,” Coleman said, adding she now has the support of the opposing group.
Still, the superintendent explained, some members of the community were upset that the plan didn’t include “shiny new objects” like additional programming.
Coleman said the district’s $14 million budget doesn’t allow for significant spending or saving for infrastructure needs. She said the district’s rainy day fund is about 90% of the budget, and she has had to dip into for such emergencies as when a sewer caved in because of clay pipes.
Reimbursement from the state didn’t come for more than six months.
Without passage of the referendum, Coleman said ahead of election day, the district would be faced with making some pretty difficult decisions because the capital work, nevertheless, would need to be done.
Coleman said she hosted 10 informational sessions about the referendum at homes and parks, in addition to five in-person presentations with tours of the buildings. Virtual presentations were also held, and information was also mailed to stakeholders.
“My union and our staff have been incredible – they canvassed, they’re at the polls,” Coleman said. “It has a huge impact on them. They don’t want their roofs leaking in their classrooms either.”
The teachers union president could not be reached for comment.
Elizabeth Owens-Schiele is a freelancer.
