Frequently Asked Questions
- How was this plan developed?
- What is included in the plan?
- What are the benefits to students and families?
- Why is the referendum necessary?
- How will the referendum impact my taxes?
- Will bonds approved by the referendum be used to cover salaries and benefits?
- What will we see on the ballot?
- Who can vote and where can I register to vote?
- What are the different ways to vote?
How was this plan developed?
In an effort to determine the priorities of our residents, Northbrook School District 27 renewed its community engagement activities in 2024 and began taking active steps this past October to engage the public and solicit feedback on a potential solution to our infrastructure challenges. We have received feedback from 516 members of the community through in-person and virtual presentations, an online survey, and a scientific phone survey on what improvements they would like to see in their schools and how they would like to fund those improvements.
Using input from the District and its experts, we created a “menu” of potential individual projects, funding options, and funding levels. The District has been closely listening to the community as individuals considered and ranked each item on the menu to share their priorities.
During this community engagement, we developed messaging, recruited a community-based committee to lead these efforts, coordinated a discussion with the community committee, conducted a scientific phone survey, and held three public engagement sessions (one virtually) at different times and days of the week to ensure all community members could participate. We received a strong response, with 198 contributions from engagement sessions and online feedback, plus 18 phone survey responses.
Feedback from the community was documented during this time through notes taken of all direct communications, feedback provided on paper and digital forms at the Community Committee meeting and public engagement sessions, responses to a publicly available feedback form available on the district’s website, and spreadsheets generated from the results of the scientific phone survey.
Based on the community’s feedback, District 27 developed a fiscally responsible plan to address their facility challenges.
What is included in the plan?
The final consensus plan will appear on the community’s ballots for approval in the upcoming April 1, 2025 election to establish a debt service extension base (DSEB) for the District at $2.655 million, which would result in an annual tax increase of $422 for the average homeowner. This would allow the District to:
- Sustainably Address Our Facility Needs
- Make Our Schools Even Safer
- Improve Learning Environments for All Students
The plan will allow our District to address our facility needs now and into the future in a sustainable and responsible way. Our District does not have a DSEB while most other districts in the state have access to this funding source, including most of our surrounding districts. Funding our needed infrastructure improvements through a DSEB instead of traditional bonds ensures a long-term funding source, providing a sustainable solution to the District’s immediate and ongoing infrastructure needs. It also allows us to issue bonds as funding is needed for specific projects rather than all at once, resulting in significant interest cost savings for taxpayers. As a result, our community overwhelmingly chose this funding mechanism during community engagement by over a three-to-one margin.
The plan will make our schools safer by improving infrastructure throughout the District. We will be able to address immediate infrastructure and mechanical needs at all schools, including roofing, HVAC replacements, and electrical system upgrades. We will be able to install interior, police-accessible security cameras and improve access control inside our buildings using key fobs to create a more secure environment for students and teachers. We will also be able to make our parking and student drop-off safer and more efficient by adding lanes and increasing parking spaces at Wood Oaks.
The plan will ensure every student learns in an environment that supports high achievement. We will be able to upgrade classroom technology and wireless infrastructure to enhance learning opportunities for all students. We will be able to make significant upgrades to classroom furniture at all schools to support 21st-century learning environments for students. We will construct four additional classrooms at Hickory Point to house early childhood, special education, and daycare programs to provide enough space to meet community demand. We will also create additional multi-use space at Hickory Point for PE, lunch, and after-school programming use.
What are the benefits to students and families?
This sustainable and responsible plan addresses our challenges now and into the future, ensuring our schools continue to meet our community’s high expectations. Our facilities will not hold us back, allowing us to continue delivering the highest education level to our students. In addition, families will continue to want to move here, keeping us competitive and further increasing property values for residents.
Why is the referendum necessary?
At Northbrook School District 27, we are educating students to succeed in a changing world.
Our District has a long-standing tradition of excellence in education. Our parents, staff, and students partner together to reach and even exceed the high expectations set by our community.
This collaborative work has made our District one of the highest-achieving districts in the entire state of Illinois. Our student test scores are in the top 1% in the state, and our students' math and ELA proficiency are among the highest in the North Shore and double the state average. Compared to similar districts nationwide, our student, parent, and staff satisfaction ratings rank in the 98th and 99th percentile in nearly every category.
However, if we are going to be able to maintain small class sizes while providing our students and teachers with learning environments that support high achievement, we will need additional funding.
Our recent Health-Life Safety report identified nearly $17 million in state-mandated improvements that we are required to address. Classroom furniture and fixtures are outdated, with the majority last replaced decades ago, and classrooms need updated and integrated technology to continue to deliver the District’s rigorous curriculum and instruction. Our District has invested millions in school safety and security, but it can be improved even further. We don’t have enough space to meet community demand for early childhood programming and special education, forcing us to place many students in programs outside the District to meet their needs. Parking lots have reached the end of their life cycle and require replacement, and we can enhance safety and reduce traffic congestion during student pick-up and drop-off.
Through our preventative maintenance program, we have successfully extended the life expectancy of all facilities and grounds for as long as possible. For over two decades, we have reinvested our fund balance into building maintenance, renovations, and improvements. In fact, over the past five years we’ve spent $13.5 million to address facility needs. However, we can no longer keep up due to significantly increasing construction costs and the fact that we get limited support from state and federal sources, with local funding making up 94% of our budget compared to a state average of 64%.
How will the referendum impact my taxes?
We have achieved fiscal responsibility while maintaining a healthy financial position and spending within our means. We operate with a balanced budget, maintain a reasonable fund balance, and have no long-term debt. We prioritize educating students, spending 55% of our funds on classroom instruction compared to a state average of 46%. We respect the public’s tax dollars by working aggressively to contain costs, reducing expenses by $5.5 million, and keeping parent fees as low as possible.
We maintain a reasonable fund balance that provides stability, so we don’t have to rely on borrowing when Cook County delays tax collections, which has happened two of the past three years. Our fiscal responsibility has earned awards of excellence in financial reporting from the Government Finance Officers Association and the Association of School Business Officials International for 15 consecutive years.
If the referendum is successful, the average $600,000 District home would see an increase of $422 per year in property taxes. Please utilize our tax calculator to determine your tax impact.
Will bonds approved by the referendum be used to cover salaries and benefits?
No. Bonds will only be used to fund needed infrastructure projects. By law, these funds must only be used for that purpose because referendum language is legally binding. We will continue to fund salaries and benefits out of our standard operating budget. Any funds approved by the community for their schools through a Debt Service Extension Base (DSEB) will be 100% invested in improving our school infrastructure.
What will we see on the ballot?
To achieve the improvements desired by our community, the Northbrook School District 27 Board of Education voted unanimously to place the following referendum question on the ballot in the upcoming April 1, 2025 general election:
“Shall the debt service extension base under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law for Northbrook Elementary School District Number 27, Cook County, Illinois, for payment of principal and interest on limited bonds be established at $2,655,099 for the 2025 levy year and all subsequent levy years?”
Who can vote and where can I register to vote?
You can vote in the April 1st election if you are a U.S. citizen, you will be 18 years old by election day, and if you have been a resident of your precinct at least 30 days prior to election day. You must be a registered voter, and you may register to vote online through the Illinois State Board of Elections website.
What are the different ways to vote?
- You can vote by mail. You may now request a vote-by-mail application.
- You can vote early. Early voting begins March 17 and runs through March 31 at various locations throughout Cook County.
- You can vote in person on election day, April 1.