Frequently Asked Questions

The $29.7 million bond question funds the infrastructure work needed to add classrooms, fix our aging infrastructure, and improve learning environments—without this, we will have to use mobile classrooms for full-day kindergarten.

 

The $2 million limiting rate question funds our teachers and support staff to operate full-day kindergarten and educate students at every level—without this, we will have to increase class sizes to comply with the state’s mandate.

 

 

Throughout the past year, our community has collaborated on a plan for the future of our schools.
Together, we reviewed our facility needs and how to overcome the challenges with providing state- mandated Full Day Kindergarten. More than 1,000 members of the community provided input and helped develop a consensus plan, one that allowed the district to meet the state’s mandate without having to use non-secure mobile classrooms and without having to increase class sizes. Hearing the community’s concerns over taxes, the district then worked to reduce the cost of the plan, saving taxpayers nearly 40%.

 

 

 

The referendums will allow the district to comply with the state’s mandate for full-day kindergarten without needing to use mobile classrooms and without having to increase class sizes at every level. This will increase academic and social emotional learning for early learners and potentially provide childcare savings for parents.

 

The referendums will allow us to fix our aging infrastructure by investing in infrastructure and mechanicals, leading to safer and updated schools. This includes a new secure entry at Westfield, classroom carpet and casework replacement at Dujardin and Erickson, mechanical systems replacement and upgrades at Dujardin and Westfield, and improved ADA Accessible bathrooms, new security systems, and technology network cabling at all schools. It also includes a new gym at Westfield, expanded gyms optimized into multipurpose spaces at all schools, and modernized cafeterias to better accommodate all students.

 

The referendums will also give our students the 21st century learning environments they deserve. We will be able to hire additional teachers and support staff and better support our current staff to educate and support all students. We will be able to add classrooms to accommodate growth while remodeling and increasing space in current classrooms, as well as adding 21st century learning spaces with better technology and hands on learning. And we will be able to provide optimized student resource and support spaces, including improved special education, leading to healthier students with stronger social and emotional skills.

 

Why is the referendum necessary?
At Bloomingdale School District 13, we ensure an exceptional, individualized education for each and every child. It’s the people who make this district special. As a small, community-based district, we’re “small enough to care enough.”

 

 

This adds to our current challenges. With the cost of education rising and our district receiving limited state and federal support, we will struggle to maintain competitive salaries with area districts, hurting our ability to hire and retain excellent teachers and staff during a nationwide staffing shortage.

 

Our infrastructure is also aging and beginning to hold our teachers and students back. Our middle school classrooms are too small, the building’s layout antiquated, and the facilities aging, with a gym that is slowly sinking into the ground. Mechanicals are so old we struggle to get parts for them, cabling is four generations old, and bathrooms are original to the buildings. Our community wants a more robust educational experience for their children, but we don’t have the resources to do so, and our facilities limit STEM, collaborative, and foreign language learning.

 

 

District 13 spends the least per pupil of any elementary school district in the county. Despite our limited funding, we’ve found a way to succeed without having to go to taxpayers for additional support for over 30 years. We’ve managed our funds conservatively and stretched every dollar. But if we are going to meet the state’s mandate and make the improvements our residents are requesting, we will need additional funding.

 

If successful, the referendums would bring an approximate tax impact of $694 a year for the average $370,000 homeowner in the district.

 

 

To achieve the improvements desired by our community, the Bloomingdale School District 13 Board of Education voted unanimously to place the following two referendum questions on the ballot in the upcoming November 5 th general election:

 

Question 1 (bond issue): Shall the Board of Education of Bloomingdale School District Number 13, DuPage County, Illinois, alter, repair and equip school buildings and build and equip additions thereto, including but not limited to installing new security systems and network cabling, replacing and upgrading mechanical systems, improving bathrooms and ADA accessibility, adding classrooms for full-day kindergarten and general education, creating dedicated space for student resources and support services, and replacing the older gym at Westfield Middle School, and issue bonds of said School District to the amount of $29,700,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?

 

Question 2 (limiting rate increase): Shall the limiting rate under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law for Bloomingdale School District Number 13, DuPage County, Illinois, be increased by an additional amount equal to 0.3040% above the limiting rate for levy year 2023 for the purpose of operating full-day kindergarten, paying teachers and support staff and for other school purposes and be equal to 3.3765% of the equalized assessed value of the taxable property therein for levy year 2024?

 

 

You can vote in the November 5 th 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.

 

 

You can vote by mail. You may now request a vote-by-mail application HERE.

 

You can vote early. In-person early voting begins at temporary sites from Sept. 26 to Nov. 4 and at
permanent sites from Oct. 21 to Nov. 4. Click HERE for early voting locations.

 

You can vote in person on election day, Nov. 5. Click HERE to find your polling place location.