District 113 Approves Plans for $92M Tax Levy

The approved a plan to levy over $92 million for the 2011 tax year. 

A public hearing on the levy is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 12, prior the board’s regularly scheduled meeting at 7:30 p.m. This levy would affect the district’s educational funds as well as funds for operations, transportation and special education.

“There’s no mandate that we publish this,” said . “We are disclosing the proposed levies at this point in time in the interest of transparency and full public knowledge.”

Smith added that members of the community will have until mid-December to make their feelings on the matter known.

Wireless networks to high schools

The board also approved an approximately $170,000 proposal to install wireless networks in both (HPHS and Deerfield High Schools (DHS). A company called Technical Design Services, Inc. will design and implement the wiring system project. The board voted that this project is not to exceed $195,000.

According to a district press release about the project, this change will expand the schools’ current wireless access points from 110 to 275 and may be able to power up to 10,000 simultaneous wireless connections.

Volunteer trip for DHS students

In other business, the board approved plans for DHS’s international volunteer field trip for Environmental Science and Spanish students this March. Students will partner with an organization called Youth with a Mission (YWAM) to build homes for impoverished families in Costa Rica. This is the seventh year DHS students have participated in YWAM’s program.

Board President Harvey Cohen questioned the decision to continue sending students to other countries to do charitable work.

“They’re going to Central America to help the poor down there instead of helping our own citizens,” Cohen said.

He also voiced concerns about YWAM’s Christian affiliation and asked DHS Principal Audris Griffith if there was secular organization that did similar work.

Griffith said advisors had investigated the prospect of working in Appalachian areas and New Orleans. However, for most of these organizations, participants must be 18 or older.

“We were also not comfortable with all the work they’d be asked to do, and U.S. building codes are so much stricter,” explained Griffith.

She did say they would continue to research alternative organization in the future.

The next will be at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 21 at 1040 Park Ave West in Highland Park.