Breaking Down District 181's $53 Million Proposal to Build a New School: What You Need to Know

For not the first, but the second time, Hinsdale School District 181 is asking voters to say ‘yes’ to a referendum that would allow the district to sell $53 million in bonds to fund the building of a new middle school.

Hinsdale Middle School needs to be replaced, the district states on its website, due to its dated building and facility challenges. While other District 181 schools could also use a financial boost, HMS is in critical need of updating.

The referendum will propose allowing the school district to sell up to $53,329,194 in bonds to erect a completely new school in the place of HMS.

A referendum placed on this year’s March ballot almost passed, but by a vote of 56 percent to 44 percent the motion was defeated. At the time, the proposal had topped out at $65 million.

District 181 collected feedback from its community through phone calls, online surveys and public meetings intended to inform people about the need of the new school project. Four meetings have already taken place and included Q&A sessions, building tours and informational presentations.

Two more will be held prior to the Nov. 8 election: one on Nov. 3 and one on Nov. 6. Both will take place at HMS.

District 181 claims HMS hasn’t been up to par for quite some time, including not meeting the standards for a high-quality, 21st-century institution. Wight Co. & Architects, the district reported, identified around $3.4 million in repairs and replacements to the existing structure that would have to take place over the next ten years. They also said the roof would need an entire replacement — more than $2.33 million.

In a diagram comparing the current building to a new, improved HMS, the district outlines its wish to create larger classrooms, a more handicap-accessible campus, increase natural light in the building and provide enough parking for all staff members, which doesn’t currently exist.

If District 181’s referendum is improved, homeowners will notice an increase in taxes that would be sustained for seven years before the District's existing debt is paid in full, at which point taxpayers would see a decrease in the amount of money they're paying.

If the referendum passes, the tax bill for a $500,000 home, the district says, will add up to $5,862 over the next 20 years. That number for a home valued at $2.5 million would be $30,183.

Have any questions about this referendum? Let us know, and we’ll do our best to answer them.

Keep an eye out for more election and referendum break-downs on Patch.

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Featured image via Shutterstock.