Maercker District Office 1 S. Cass Avenue, Suite 202 Westmont, IL 60559 Phone: (630) 515-4840 Fax: (630) 515-4845 www.maercker.org

March 15, 2018 Dear Maercker D60 Families, As you know, our district has engaged students, parents, staff and community members over the past year to develop a proposal to address capital improvements at our two oldest schools: Holmes Primary School, which opened in 1961, and Westview Hills Middle School, which opened in 1974. This lengthy community engagement process enabled the district to listen to all stakeholders, and prepare a plan that provides our students with modern and safe instructional spaces that support student learning. The proposal before voters on March 20, 2018 includes:      

Building classrooms to implement full day kindergarten Building classrooms to expand early childhood programming and move the program out of mobile classrooms in the parking lot Modernizing the middle school science and STEM labs Modernizing the middle school elective spaces (art, band, culinary arts) Modernizing the middle school performance space for concerts and theatrical productions Enclosing open classrooms at both Holmes and Westview Hills to enhance teaching and learning, as well as safety and security

Given the cost of this project to taxpayers, I want to share financial information that is posted on our website. An independent financial analyst found the following: 

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Upon a successful referendum on March 20th, the property tax bill for a $300,000 market value home will increase by $146 (to $449) in calendar year 2019. The $146 increase will only be assessed in the first year, followed by level payments for the remaining life of the bonds. The payment will not increase each year by $146. The bonds will be paid back over 20 years. The district has structured the payments to be stable over the 20 year life of the bonds in order to protect the community from potential large fluctuations in the amount needed to pay the debt each year. A homeowner’s portion of his or her property tax bill for the district’s bond & interest payments will be stable for 20 years.

Also, the district plans to staff and operate the new school spaces using the resources we currently have, and without going to taxpayers for an education fund increase. The decision to bring this question before the residents of Maercker District 60 was not taken lightly. The Board of Education understands the sacrifice this will require, and our plan is based on a thorough study of the district’s options and engagement of the community in developing a plan to provide our students with modern and safe instructional spaces that support student learning. Please feel free to reach out to me directly with any questions. Regards,

Sean Nugent Superintendent, Maercker School District 60