Voters To Weigh In On $87.8M Referendum For Deerfield District 109

DEERFIELD, IL — After months of gathering community feedback and three years of planning, the Deerfield District 109 Board of Education has tweaked an $87.8 million referendum question intended to address facility needs, and approved to place the question on the March 17, 2026, ballot.

According to the district, if the referendum is approved, the tax impact of $536 per $10,000 of property taxes would span 25 years. The increase would appear on property tax bills beginning with the issuance of referendum bonds, projected for 2027.

The school board voted unanimously to place the revised referendum on the ballot at its Dec. 18 meeting.

"Throughout the fall of 2025, the Board and administration shared information about facility needs and financing options and gathered community feedback. We listened," District 109 said on its website regarding the referendum.

Officials said the plan includes two new elementary schools (Wilmot and Walden) and major renovations at two others (Kipling and South Park), along with targeted upgrades at both middle schools. All updates will "create modern, equitable environments" across all schools — whether new or renovated, according to the district.

Following feedback from the community, the district said the scope of the project was reduced, including a 33 percent reduction in tax impact compared to the earlier proposal. The new proposal also states that more than 60 percent of total project costs would be funded through District resources, including fund balance and alternate bonds.

A number of information sessions for the public are scheduled from January to March prior to the vote. To learn more about the sessions and the project, visit here.