Sunday, February 24, 2013
Learn about the $89 million referendum Highland Park's high school district will ask residents to vote on in April, then find out what Patch bloggers and commenters are saying about it.
The District 113 School Board voted unanimously last month to put an $89 million referendum on the April ballot to pay for five years' worth of projects for Highland Park and Deerfield high schools. If you have your own thoughts to share, do so in the comments section. Or, better yet, sign up to be a Local Voices blogger to get your message out to our readers. The plan is projected to cost $114 million. Of that total, $25 million will come from the district's reserve funds and the remaining $89 million will come from District 113 residents. If the referendum passes, District 113 residents who own homes valued at $300,000 will pay $173 in taxes to the district in levy year 2013, a $47 increase from levy year 2012. If the referendum fails, …
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Read why columnist Ed Brill believes the timing is critical for Highland Park and Deerfield to make a major investment in its high schools.
I don't like the road travelled to get here, but on the April municipal ballot, I will be voting in favor of the District 113 referendum. For more than two years now, residents in District 113 have discussed and considered a funding plan to improve Highland Park and Deerfield High Schools. Emotions have run high. Facts have been debated. Tempers have flared. I have had one of those short tempers at times in the process. I believe District 113 has done a woeful job of educating voters on exactly why the referendum is needed, why the number is so similar to what was on the ballot two years ago, why they have large fiscal reserves that aren't being used for this project and why some of the projected costs of the project are so outsized. …
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The Highland Park-Highwood and Deerfield Area Leagues of Women Voters have endorsed District 113's referendum. Read why they endorsed this one and not the district's last attempt two years ago.
The Highland Park-Highwood and Deerfield Area Leagues of Women Voters have endorsed District 113's referendum, which ask voters to spend $89 million to renovate Deerfield and Highland Park High Schools. In a blog post published on Patch last week, the League writes that the referendum meets League criteria, which includes "clear educational objectives reflecting the expectations and desires of the community and show the linkage between the objectives and the request for additional funding." Want Highland Park news in your inbox every morning? Subscribe to Patch's newsletter. The renovation plan includes getting rid of building C on Highland Park's campus and replacing it with new classrooms. The physical education facilities in building C …
Friday, February 15, 2013
For the 2nd year in a row, the Boys’ Varsity Swim Team will be recognized by the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (NISCA) as an Academic All-American Scholar Team.
The information below comes from District 113. For the second year in a row, the Boys’ Varsity Swim Team will be recognized by the National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association (NISCA) as an Academic All-American Scholar Team. The team earned the Silver Level award, meaning swimmers had a team GPA of 3.5 – 3.75. Last year, the team had a cumulative GPA of 3.562. This year, the team’s cumulative GPA through the first semester of the year is even higher at 3.594. Student Awarded for Service Highland Park High School student Daniella Cohen has been honored for her exemplary volunteer service with a state-level Certificate of Excellence from the 2013 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards program. Presented annually by Prudential Financial…
Thursday, February 14, 2013
About 1.5 million juniors from more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program.
The information below comes from District 113. The National Merit Scholarship Program has named its 2013 Finalists and 18 District 113 students are on that list, including nine from Highland Park High School. One of the students named is Alex Gordon, a regular Patch blogger. Check out his stuff here. Want Highland Park school news in your inbox? Subscribe to the Patch newsletter. The other HPHS students ar Scott Beck, Anne Charnes, Emilie Greenberg, Matthew Kaufmann, Cari Kraus, Melissa Peters, Micah Silberstein, and Elliot Weiss. Established in 1955, National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) identifies and honors academically talented U.S. high schools students. About 1.5 million juniors from more than 22,000 high schools entered the…
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Patch readers and bloggers are discussing their opinions at length about the April vote to determine whether or not taxpayers will spend $89 million on Highland Park and Deerfield High Schools.
The District 113 School Board voted unanimously last month to put an $89 million referendum on the April ballot to pay for five years' worth of projects for Highland Park and Deerfield High Schools. Though the vote is months away, already Patch readers and bloggers are discussing their opinions at length. In a blog post entitled "History Repeats Itself in District 113," Michelle Holleman puts the referendum in a historical context, comparing this vote to a similar one decided in Highland Park a century ago. "The investments made in 1914 were good ones, maintained for 100 years," she writes. "But the time has come to ask, can we do better for our kids? And the answer is a resounding yes." Not everyone is so sure, however. Some feel that the…
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Patch Blogger and Highland Park resident Michelle Holleman urges votes to say yes to District 113's $89 million referendum.
Monday, February 4, 2013
The District 113 Board of Education explains the need for an $89 million referendum, to be on the April 9 ballot.
To make improvements at Highland Park and Deerfield high schools, the District 113 Board of Education will have an $89 million referendum on the April 9 consolidated election ballot. The board has released a video to explain the need for the measure. The referendum was also addressed at the board's Jan. 14 meeting, which can be viewed here. Proposed projects include: The district has committed $25 million from its current budgets to help finance these projects in addition to the $89 million referendum. VIDEO: Board Members Explain Why They’re Seeking $89 M Referendum for Improvements 113 Board Puts $89 Million Referendum on Ballot District 113 Board Prioritizes Master Plan, Discusses Referendum Readers Sound Off on Possible 113 Referendum …
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Curious to compare the best pizza Highland Park and Deerfield have to offer? Check out this District 113 event this Sunday.
Thursday, January 24, 2013
New security enhancements at Deerfield and Highland Park High Schools include discussions about adding a full time police officer at Deerfield. Highland Park has had one since 2000.
(Update at 11:20 a.m.) The presence of an armed police officer at Deerfield High School is being considered but not yet a certainty, according to sources from Township High School District 113 and the Village of Deerfield. As reported on Patch in November, the Village and officials from the District have been talking about putting a community resource officer at Deerfield High School on a full time basis but nothing has been decided. Both Deerfield Assistant Village Manager Andrew Lichterman and District 113 Communications Director Natalie Kaplan said no final decision has been made. Deerfield would hire an officer who would be assigned to full time duty at the school, according to Lichterman. The cost would be shared by the Village and …
Enrique H.
11:01 am on Saturday, March 2, 2013
Still a bloated, expensive plan that is primarily devoted to pools and gyms. It is almost comical how this is being sold as a carefully constructed, well-thought-out, intricate Master Plan when it's a repackaged version of a plan that already got voted down. It seems like so much thought was put into discussing the details of the plan that the big picture, which the general population is most … more ›