A physical transformation of Lake Forest High School is set to begin as local voters have narrowly approved a nearly $106 million bond sale, according to election results certified Thursday.
More than two weeks after Election Day, the clerk’s office certified the results of the $105.7 million borrowing plan, where most of the proceeds are earmarked for the renovation of the 88-year-old LFHS building on McKinley Road.
The measure finished with 3,902 voters, or 50.8% backing the bond sale; and 3,777 voters, or 49.1% against the proposal.
Support for the 20-year bond sale plan maintained a small-but-consistent lead from late on election night and over the last two weeks as additional votes were counted.
Voter turnout was roughly 30.6% in the LFHS district, which includes Lake Forest, Lake Bluff and Knollwood.
The financial impact is projected to be a $950 property tax increase for a home with a market value of $1 million over the next 20 years, according to LFHS officials.
District 115 officials released a statement celebrating the certified results.
“This was a vote for our future,” school board President Jenny Zinser said. “These infrastructure updates will give Lake Forest High School students and staff a more functional, collaborative, and modern teaching and learning environment, better aligned with the excellence we seek for all Scouts.”
Superintendent Matthew Montgomery added, “Our gratitude goes to the voters and to the dozens of staff, students, parents, guardians, Board representatives, and community members who have served on our Facilities Master Plan Oversight Committee.
“Since the group’s inception in 2019, this team has collaborated tirelessly on identifying and prioritizing building improvement plans for our historic high school with a focus on responsible fiscal stewardship,” he said.
Parents Care, an organization whose founders opposed the referendum, released an email the day after the election indicating they believed the majority of voters would approve the measure. They deferred to that statement as additional votes were counted.
“We all accept the outcome and rejoice in this affirmation of democracy,” the email read.
Later in the email, the group called for changes in LFHS educational operations in light of the bond sale passage.
“Now the district, the administration, and the school board need to approach student achievement with the same vigor they have approached the passage of this bond,” the email read.
The District 115 school board placed the bond sale measure on the ballot seeking improvements, maintenance and infrastructure, safety and security, ADA-accessibility and updated classrooms, including improved science labs mostly at the LFHS building. The district is also set to spend about 10% of the funds for enhancements at the LFHS West Campus.
In their statement, District 115 officials said a capital projects advisory committee will be formed with the goal of finding volunteers with backgrounds in architecture, construction, engineering and interior design.
LFHS officials said design work will start later this year, and construction will begin in the summer of 2024.
Officials believe the project will take place over about four summers, but the school will remain open throughout. However, there may be some changes to the traditional school calendar to accommodate the work, officials said.
