Tax Hike On La Grange D102 Ballot

LA GRANGE, IL – Voters in La Grange School District 102 are set to decide Tuesday whether to let the schools go into debt by $82 million.

The tax increase will amount to $532 a year for a $500,000 home, according to the district.

On its website, the district said its goals with the money are to alleviate overcrowding, upgrade safety and security, improve accessibility, update classrooms and labs, and repair aging infrastructure.

Among the projects is building a new gym at Cossitt Elementary School. The old gym, with a pole in the middle of the basketball court, will be used for cafeteria space, according to the district.

As it is, Cossitt's first graders are eating lunch in the hallway outside the cafeteria.

"The truth is, the cafeteria space just can't fit all the kids inside it," Superintendent Chris Covino told the La Grange Village Board this week.

The gym will be available for both community and school use, he said.

The district's plan includes moving sixth graders to the junior high, which now consists of seventh and eighth grades. That will provide sixth graders with a more rigorous learning environment and better preparation for high school, Covino said.

Three of the district's six buildings, including Cossitt, are more than a century old.

"Buildings get old, and they get more expensive to repair over time," Covino said. "We're finding some of those repairs are both urgent and needed in the next five to 10 years."

More information on the tax referendum is available on the district's website.