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La Grange-area District 102 superintendent outlines $82 million referendum to update aging schools
Summary
Dr. Chris Covino presented an $82 million facilities referendum for District 102 — covering La Grange, La Grange Park and Brookfield — that would fund safety, accessibility and classroom upgrades; the district estimates about a $532 annual impact for an owner of a $500,000 home. The measure is on the April 1 ballot.
Dr. Chris Covino, representing District 102, told the La Grange Village Board on March 24 that the school district is asking voters on April 1 to approve an $82 million facilities referendum covering La Grange, La Grange Park and Brookfield.
Covino described a multi-month community engagement process and a facilities assessment by STR architecture that identified roughly $35 million in repairs needing attention, including failing plumbing, aging electrical systems and antiquated safety and communication systems in several buildings. "We have amazing schools… This is actually a push towards improving the conditions that we currently have," Covino said.
The referendum package would fund several priorities, including security upgrades and integrated messaging systems, accessibility improvements such as elevators at Cossett and Ogden schools, new STEM classrooms and space reconfigurations to address overcrowding. Covino said the plan also proposes moving sixth graders into a junior high model to free classrooms for STEM and resource space.
Covino provided an illustrative homeowner impact: "For a homeowner of approximately a $500,000 home… it's approximately a $532 increase per year, or approximately $44 a month." He said the district used Raymond James as its financial adviser and that numbers were rechecked about three weeks before the presentation.
Trustee Thompson asked whether the assessment would be collected in two tranches that would cause a spike in year six; Covino replied the plan assumes a one-time assessment based on a home's value at implementation and that the advisors had checked the math. Trustee Augustine asked about the educational rationale for a junior-high model; Covino explained teaming advantages, social-emotional benefits and expanded elective opportunities including athletics and career-pathway coursework.
Covino encouraged voters to review materials the district distributed and posted online and said additional details are available at the materials link he provided. The board did not take action on the referendum; the vote is scheduled for April 1.
