Oak Park school bond fails a second time

The day after the election, supporters of the school facilities bond in Oak Park expressed disappointment and concern over the failure of the $71.1-million measure.

"We worked very hard to inform the community about the need for repairs," said Peter Kristensen, chair of the H6 bond committee. "Who knows what will happen now? It's unfortunate."

Although the H6 bond earned more yes than no votes, 1,858 vs. 1,501, the margin of victory was not enough to reach the two-thirds consensus necessary to pass the measure.

"Voter turnout was very low and that was surprising," said OPUSD Superintendent Tony Knight. "The majority of Oak Park voters who did vote supported it."

The district chose to go with a two-thirds requirement rather than 55 percent for several reasons, according to school board member Marie Panec.

Having a lower approval threshhold placed restrictions on the bond amount and how it could be used. Regardless of changes in need or cost, there could be no flexibility in how the money was spent, officials said.

As proposed, the bond would have funded new roofs and air-conditioning and heating systems for many aging school buildings, and new classrooms to replace deteriorating portables. In order to gain communitywide support for the measure, the board felt that every school should have some improvements, Panec said.

That $71.1-million price tag was cut down from a similar $89-million bond measure defeated last June.

H6 would not have raised taxes, supporters said, but would have extended an earlier bond payment another 20 years. Glen Wilcox, a staunch opponent, encouraged the school district to conduct a communitywide analysis of why the measure failed. Wilcox said a similar "autopsy" should have been done after the June bond measure failure.

"Figure out what didn't work and correct those things for next time around," Wilcox said. "Do it now while it's fresh in their minds."

Wilcox said he wasn't against a bond measure, but did oppose one that he felt asked for too much.

"I would like to see them run an honest campaign and see them ask for legitimate amounts of money for legitimate concerns," Wilcox said.

With the defeat of H6, Panec doesn't know how the district's facility needs will be met.

"Our staff and students deserve better," Panec said. "We have a superb staff, including the administration, faculty and classified staff. When it really comes down to it, that's what really makes a school district: the people."

Repairs still are needed, said Kristensen. The money will have to come out of the district's general fund and that could impact programs.

"Oak Park is about the schools," Kristensen said. "It's what brought the majority of people here and bolstered our property values. I don't know how the school district is going to maintain its excellence given this setback."

Knight and Kristensen thanked volunteers who made phone calls, distributed literature and spoke to their neighbors on behalf of the bond.

"Dozens of dedicated volunteers helped get the word out," Knight said. "When all is said and done we still need to repair the schools. If we had another solution we wouldn't have put a bond measure on the ballot."