Mundelein High School District 120 will offer an opportunity for the community to learn about the referendum remotely when it hosts a Referendum Webinar at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 17.
The webinar will feature a Zoom presentation followed by an opportunity for participants to ask questions. To join the webinar, click on this link.
The District will also host two building tours on Oct. 1 and 10 to show the key areas where upgrades are needed and to answer questions. The first of three building tours was held on Sept. 11.
The school, which opened in 1961, was designed to house 1,500 students. Current enrollment exceeds 2,200 and is expected to continue to grow, especially with the 740-acre Ivanhoe Farms housing development looming in Mundelein’s future.
Following a failed referendum in 2023, District 120 down-sized its proposal, reducing the cost by $25 million and lowering the tax impact on the owner of a $300,000 house by 40 percent.
The $149.5 million referendum, which will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot, would fund a plan designed to replace aging infrastructure, upgrade instructional spaces, enhance career and technical education spaces, make health, safety and security improvements, and address overcrowding issues.
“We want our community to get a better understanding of how this plan will benefit our students, staff and community, and we want to make our presentation available to those who are unable to come to the school” said Dr. Kevin Myers, Superintendent for Districts 75 and 120.
If the current referendum passes, the project would replace much of the building’s original infrastructure which has reached the end of its useful life, improve the efficiency of mechanical systems and minimize costly repairs. The plan includes updates to fire safety systems and other health and safety issues including air quality, accessibility and overcrowding.
Additional classrooms would be added, and more space would be allocated to Career & Technical Education so students could learn skills in building trades and manufacturing.
The school’s original kitchen and cafeteria will be upgraded to alleviate crowding, health and safety issues. The project will include additional classroom and storage space for the music program and a new multi-purpose fieldhouse for physical education and health and wellness classes, assemblies, performances, tournaments and community events.
More information is available on the District 120 website at www.d120.org/2024-proposal/.