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District 23 presents $19.3 million Eisenhower addition proposal; board reviews resolution to place question on April ballot
Summary
District administration recommended a reduced-scope Eisenhower Elementary addition funded by a proposed $19.3M bond issue, with an estimated $349 annual tax impact on a $350,000 home; the board reviewed draft PTELL ballot language for an April 1, 2025 referendum.
Prospect Heights School District 23 administrators presented a recommendation to ask voters to increase the district’s limiting rate under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law to fund an Eisenhower Elementary School addition aimed at providing full-day kindergarten and other program expansions.
The administration’s plan calls for a reduced addition with six classrooms, therapy and office spaces and a renovated library, with construction estimated at $19.3 million and a projected $1.1 million in annual operating costs. The packet says the district would use 25-year debt certificates and estimates an approximate homeowner impact of $349 per $350,000 home (about a $0.37 increase to the tax rate). The administration described reductions from a prior ask—two classrooms and three offices removed—to lower the cost and cited community advocacy support.
The board reviewed draft resolution language required by PTELL to submit the question to voters at the consolidated election on April 1, 2025. The resolution text, read by the district secretary during the meeting, states: "Shall the limiting rate under the Property Tax Extension Limitation Law for Prospect Heights School District Number 23, Cook County, Illinois, be increased by an additional amount equal to 0.365% above the limiting rate for levy year 2023…?" The reading was recorded as part of the packet and discussion; the minutes do not record a final board vote on placing the measure on the ballot during the Nov. 14 meeting.
Administration materials also included a timeline and risk discussion: design completion by spring/summer 2025, bid solicitation in August 2025, construction start in September 2025 and an anticipated September 2026 opening. The presentation emphasized that delaying action would likely increase costs and that the district’s current revenues cannot fully cover the work.
Next steps listed in board documents include finalizing ballot language, coordinating required filings with Cook County, and continuing community communications and design refinement. The board also signaled plans for a public hearing on tax-related matters in December as part of levy-related scheduling.
