A rough day at the polls for Southland's schools

Thursday, November 4, 2004

By Linda Lutton
Staff writer

Only Dolton-Riverdale School District 148, where teachers and other school staff campaigned heavily among students to get parents to approve the referendum question, managed to pass a tax increase.

In beleaguered Thornton High School District 205, voters again turned down the district's bid for assistance. They did so even after school leaders slashed an hour off the school day, canceled dozens of clubs, and co-opted or killed athletic teams when voters turned down an identical referendum proposal in March.

An analysis by Students First Illinois found that statewide, 82 percent of school tax referendum proposals failed, one of the highest failure rates in several election cycles.

Most of the districts asking for increases had been turned down by voters before and have already cut programs and staff. Some say more cuts are on the way unless voters have a change of heart this spring, when they'll again ask for more money.

The following saw tax increase referendum questions fail: Alsip-Hazelgreen-Oak Lawn School District 126, Thornton School District 154, Thornton Township High School District 205, New Lenox School District 122 and Crete-Monee School District 201U.

'It's going to hurt our future'

Coming to school is not as fun anymore, said Donna Carroll, a junior at District 205's Thornridge High School in Dolton.

Carroll would have participated in the fall musical and the spring play this year, but both were canceled after the March referendum failed.

She said she feels betrayed by this week's vote.

"I feel like it's a shame. What do you expect us to look forward to? Do you really care? We're young. We need our activities," she said.

Students also are shortchanged on academics, Carroll said.

A part of $8.2 million in cuts, the district lopped an hour off its school day this year; students now have the shortest day allowed under state law. That reduced the number of classes students take per year from eight to six.

A block scheduling format means students are enrolled in just three classes at any one time.

"I think it's going to hurt our future," said Carroll, whose schedule this semester consists of Advanced Placement English, Spanish and gym.

She's worried about taking state exams this spring — including the ACT college entrance exam — without having any math this year.

Thornridge Principal Turnitta Rayburn said a parent-organized campaign to pass the referendum made automated calls to every District 205 household. Students campaigned among their peers during their lunch hour and were at polling places Tuesday.

The referendum was voted down by a 52-to-48 margin.

"It was a big letdown for the kids," said Thornton High School social studies teacher Terry Wells. "A lot of the seniors — this was their first chance at voting. It was kind of a gloomy feeling around the school."

To Supt. Kamala Buckner, failure to pass this referendum "is equally devastating (as last spring's) because we won't be able to restore anything cut," she said.

Voters in part of District 205 were asked for money from their elementary school districts as well. "The issue is the tax burden," Buckner said.

District 205 must cut another $3.5 million in the next two years but is hoping to put those cuts off until the 2006-07 school year.

"Freshmen and sophomores just took a huge cut," said Ken Parchem, District 205's business manager. "We said, 'Let's wait. Let's try to pass the referendum, and let's see what happens with (school funding reform).' "

Tough time to ask for money

Conventional wisdom says it's harder to pass a tax increase for schools in a general election, when parents make up a smaller proportion of the voting pool.

"I chalk it up to that —totally," said Roberta Berry, superintendent of Crete-Monee 201U schools, which asked voters for a 33-cent increase in the education fund tax rate.

"We had 6,100 'yes' votes. Last March we had 2,700 'yes' votes," she said.

Voters shot the measure down by a 58-to-42 margin both times. In March, leaders requested a 40-cent increase.

Berry said there will be no immediate impact from the referendum proposal's failure — mostly because the district already cut out all art, music and gym teachers at the elementary level and orchestra across the district. It also shortened its elementary school day and eliminated 30 staff positions.

In New Lenox School District 122, which sought a 17-cent tax increase for its operations and maintenance fund, Supt. Michael Sass said the burgeoning school district may not be able to afford to open three new schools slated for 2006.

"We aren't going to be able to cut our way out of the hole," Sass said. "A maintenance fund is almost purely a utility cost —it's something a district doesn't have a lot of control over."

District 122 has opened five new schools in the past decade, but the tax rate for maintaining the buildings has remained fixed. It cut $438,000 after voters defeated a March tax increase proposal, eliminating nine custodians and cutting overtime and energy costs.

Sass said the district also will consider closing schools to community groups, churches and the park district in the evening, and will think about privatizing custodial services.

There was a limited campaign to pass the referendum proposal this fall, but "there will be a full-court press for April because our back is against the wall," Sass said.

"We'll have to do something serious to get people's attention. We're not getting people to come to meetings to be informed about this. I'm confident this community does not want to see our classrooms overcrowded and our buildings poorly maintained.

"This issue got lost in the shuffle."

'We're excited'

There was one bright spot on the south suburban school referendum landscape.

"Everybody's excited," said Michael Chapman, principal of the Lincoln Avenue School in Dolton, one of nine schools in the district. At all of them, teachers actively promoted the referendum proposal among students, who were asked to "educate" their parents about the referendum.

It passed 59 percent to 41 percent.

"The parents really did get out and vote," said Chapman, who will raffle off five portable CD players today to students who brought their parents' voting stubs to school.

"We had a unified front this time," Chapman said. "Because the students went home and talked about it and made a big deal out of it, it was hard to ignore."