A referendum proposing a 1% countywide sales tax to fund education is a step closer to reality now that Lake County’s largest school district has joined a group asking Regional Superintendent of Education Michael Karner to take the necessary steps to place it on the Nov. 3 general election ballot.
If public school districts representing more than 50% of the students in Lake County approve resolutions asking Karner to certify the referendum to County Clerk Anthony Vega by Aug. 26, voters will decide the fate of a proposed 1% sales tax funding education.
The Waukegan Community Unit School District 60 Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday at the Education Service Center in Waukegan directing Karner to put the referendum on the ballot, and voted 6-1 to allow the use of funds to abate property taxes.
With 13,640 students, according to the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), District 60 is the county’s largest. It joins six other Lake County districts that sent Karner resolutions, bringing the percentage to 27.6% — more than halfway to the needed threshold.
With 117,037 students attending public schools in Lake County, Karner needs to receive resolutions representing another 26,162 students in just under four months.
Should the referendum go on the ballot and pass, Elizabeth Hennessy, the district’s bond advisor with Raymond James, said last week it will generate approximately $122 million, of which roughly $14 million will go to District 60 based on its enrollment.
Though the money will add a revenue stream to the county’s school districts, Kyle W. Harding, an attorney with Chapman and Cutler who represents the district on matters relating to bonds, said last week the money can only be used for specific purposes.
Harding said proceeds from the sales tax can only be used for long-term capital improvements, such as building renovations or repairs, like a new roof, school resource officers, or mental health professionals. All other expenses, including personnel, must come from current revenue sources.
Though board member Anita Hanna voted to place the referendum on the ballot to allow voters to make the final decision, she was unwilling to back the measure allowing the abatement of property taxes.
“I just don’t like the fact … if this referendum passes and goes through, none of the proceeds are going toward children,” Hanna said at the meeting. “It’s all going toward something else besides the education of children.”
Board member Rick Riddle said the additional $14 million annually will “benefit the students” because they will be using the facilities that will be built or improved. The district has more than $110 million earmarked for capital improvements when funds become available.
“This is money that’s going to be shared equitably all across the county,” Riddle said. “It’s going to go back to students throughout the county based on the population of each district. It is a benefit to our county (and) everybody living in Waukegan as well.”
Board member Christine Lensing said the additional sales tax — it will go from 8.5% to 9.5% in Waukegan — will be a burden to taxpayers even though approximately 52% of the money will come from people passing through the county rather than its residents.
“We’ll still feel it,” Lensing said. “But the benefit is to the kids. We constantly want to see capital improvements. There are so many things we need to do in our district, and unfortunately, it costs money to do so.”
Board President Michael Rodriguez said after the meeting that the board will depend on the district’s administration to develop a plan to educate voters about the benefits and needs of the referendum.
“There are so many things we need,” Rodriguez said. “This is a source of income that will benefit our students.”
Already directing Karner to place the referendum on the Nov. 3 ballot are: Barrington Community Unit School District 220 (3,489 students), Wauconda Community Unit School District 118 (3,504 students), Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95 (5,777 students), Kildeer Countryside School District 96 ( 3,419 students), Lake Buff School District 65 (877 students) and Big Hollow School District 98 (1,653 students).
