Letter to the Editor: Dist. 204 Taxes Are Up While Enrollment Is Down

With the state required filing of student enrollment now in the books, we finally get a look at numbers for 2011.

To give you a very brief history of recent activity in district 204, let’s quickly recap the last 5 years. 

In 2006, the district came to taxpayers claiming an urgent need for more school space and promoted a referendum to borrow $125 million for a 3^rd high school to be built at the corner of 75^th street and Route 59.

A similar tax referendum failed in 2005 due in part to taxpayers’ complaints of a lack of independent analysis that the school was actually needed and that the district did not disclose where the school would be built.

As you may know, after a disinformation campaign funded in large part by unions and vendors who did business with the district, the district pitted subdivision against subdivision and a referendum passed in 2006.

After a failed land grab and millions more wasted on attorneys and damages, the school actually cost taxpayers $150 million to build and now costs $3.5 million a year to operate.

In addition, residents sued the district claiming a bait and switch when the school was built nowhere near the promised location used to secure a YES vote in the referendum.

Now, let’s flash forward to the present and look at just a few of the startling numbers drawn from district 204’s enrollment reports:

• High school enrollment is 800 students lower than the district’s “model 1” which was used as “proof” that a 3^rd high school was needed.
• Elementary school enrollment is down 463 students from last year.  
• Elementary school enrollment has declined for 6 years in a row  

The bottom line?

Our taxes rates are up, student enrollment is down, and more students are leaving the system than are entering.

The 3rd high school was never needed.

Paul White

Naperville