Palos Heights School District 128’s request to raise its tax rate failed by one vote Tuesday night.
With all seven precincts reporting, complete but unofficial results showed 1,912 “yes” votes to 1,913 “no” votes. Turnout was 50% in the school district.
The referendum on the Nov. 3 ballot asked for an increase its tax rate “by an amount equal to 0.590% above the limiting rate for levy year 2024.”
Supt. Jason Smit said that this was the first time District 128 had ever asked for a limiting rate increase and argued that it was necessary in order to finance the district’s day to day expenses, keep class sizes down, and maintain extracurricular programing options.
According to Smit, who has been with the district for seven years but is only in his first year as superintendent, the district has seen a 28% increase in student enrollment in the past decade. Currently, the district serves over 800 students with approximately four sections of each grade level, averaging 21 students per section.
“As our enrollment has grown, so have the resources needed to support our students, however, in Illinois, additional students does not mean additional funding,” said Smit, who noted that of 18 similar-sized peer districts in the area, District 128 has the lowest level of state provided annual evidence-based funding, and also spends the least per student on average.
Smit said the district was operating at a deficit of $1.7 million annually. The increased tax rate would have provided approximately $2.4 million in additional funds for the district annually.
Proponents said that the addition money would go towards “the purpose of providing educational programming and instruction, and operating, maintaining, and improving school buildings and facilities, and other school purposes.”
Smit said that if the referendum was not approved then the district would need to make “an additional $1 million in cuts” beyond the $1 million in “efficiency reductions” the district is already planning to make for the 2027-2028 school year.
