If voters reject a ballot measure in the Nov. 5 election to increase property taxes for homeowners in Glenview School District 34, officials say the district will have to consider cutting non-mandated programs like music, art, gym and extracurricular activities for the 2027 school year.
The ballot measure would add $231 to an average property tax bill for a home with a market value of $500,000, according to the district. The district’s website has a calculator that homeowners can use to determine how much their bill is estimated to increase.
The money raised by the ballot measure would help fund the district’s operating budget, officials said.
Currently the district’s expenses are $88.6 million and it collects $90.9 million in revenue but officials project by the 2027 school year the district will operate at a $400,000 loss which will continue to worsen as the years go on, according to its website.
Glenview School District 34 School Board President Scott Nelson said district leaders have been cutting expenses for years.
“Our budget is as lean as possible,” Nelson said in a video produced for the district’s website about the ballot referendum. “We’ve done everything we can on the spending side; now it’s time to ask the community for help on the revenue side.”
Rebecca Latham, the district’s executive director of communications and strategic planning, said that money cannot be used for operational expenses like educational programs,
transportation and district employees salaries.
Glenview School District 34 is asking voters to approve an operating rate referendum in the Nov. 5, 2024 election. (Alexandra Chachkevitch, Chicago Tribune)
District Superintendent Dane Delli said if voters reject the new ballot measure the district could have to reduce or eliminate non-mandated instructional programs and services currently available.
Latham said examples of non-mandated programs are music, art, gym, drama and extracurricular activities.
“We don’t want to talk about cuts; it’s not good for the students, it’s not good for the community,” Nelson said.
Glenview School District 34 is the largest of five Northbrook and Glenview area districts that feed into Glenbrook High School District 225.
District 34 serves around 4,300 students in grades pre-K to 8, in eight schools, according to state data.
Nelson said of the five districts which feed into Glenbrook 225, Glenview District 34 spends the least amount per student and has the lowest tax rate.
Glenview District 34 leaders have twice before asked voters to approve tax increases to shore up the operating budget in 2000 and 2001. Both times voters said no.
