Deerfield Public Schools District 109’s referendum for nearly $87.8 million to build two new schools, and update and renovate another four, has passed, according to unofficial election results, with nearly 3,560 — about 63% — of district voters supporting the proposal.
The win was met with celebration from district officials, and Cathy Kedjidjian, chief communications officer with D109, said the next steps will be coming very soon, with renovations to the district’s middle schools to begin this summer.
The referendum was for $87,8 million in school building bonds to renovate and make additions to the Kipling and South Park School buildings, including various safety, security, infrastructure and accessibility improvements, and build two new schools to replace the Walden and Wilmot School buildings. Caruso and Shepard Middle Schools will also see various updates.
District communications have said more than 60% of total project costs will be funded through D109 resources, including fund balance and alternate bonds, with the remaining 40% to be funded through the referendum.
Construction of new school buildings for Walden and Wilmot is planned to begin in June 2027, with both new buildings opening in August 2028. The existing schools will remain open as “swing sites.”
Renovations on Kipling and South Park are planned to start in June 2028, with both fully renovated schools opening in August 2029. Demolition of the old Walden and Wilmot buildings and conversion to green spaces is slated to start in August 2029 and go through 2030.
Tuesday’s referendum was the district’s first in two decades, and the results are a “mandate from our community,” Kedjidjian said.
In a letter to families, D109 Board President Ryan Kuo and Superintendent Michael Simeck thanked the community for their support, saying the referendum represented an investment in the students, teachers and staff.
“Throughout this process, our community demonstrated what makes District 109 so special,” the letter said. “You took time to listen, learn, ask questions, and engage in thoughtful conversations about the future of our schools.”
The successful referendum is the culmination of many months — even years — of work. Between September and March, the district held 25 information sessions, Kedjidjian said, giving tours, recording videos, and answering as many questions as possible.
The original proposal was significantly altered following community input, cutting the requested amount by roughly 30%.
“The community really came out to support this, and that’s because this was a plan that the community built,” Kedjidjian said. “There was a lot of input over several years to get to this point, and it feels really rewarding for the whole community to be here now.”
Officials had warned that if the district did not move ahead, it would end up spending $177 million over the next 20 years simply maintaining existing infrastructure. Several schools had only narrowly dodged significant water damage in recent years, they said.
