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Frequently Asked Questions

How was this plan developed, and what is included?

Over the past year, the community has come together to collaborate on a solution to our space issues. We have developed a new community-driven strategic plan that benefits everyone. This consensus $56 million plan would build a new school building to house all Golf 67 students on the current Hynes Elementary School campus. The plan will now appear on our ballots in the upcoming June 28th election for community approval.

If the referendum is successful, we will be able to:

  • Finally Solve Our Current and Future Space Issues

  • Provide a Safer School for Our Children and Teachers

  • Give Our Students 21st Century Learning Environments

The new school building will give us additional and larger classrooms, larger hallways, improved building layout, better access to nursing staff, and increase storage. This increased capacity will support increased student collaboration and small group instruction, more efficient use of space, and the future potential to reduce class sizes. The new building will also eliminate the need for mobile classrooms, provide more secure entrances, and update our security and intercom systems. Finally, it will allow us to provide our students 21st century learning environments that support high-quality teaching and active collaboration through modernized learning spaces and media centers.

Why is the referendum necessary?

Golf School District 67 is a unique and special district. Our school and community are synonymous, partnering together to inspire our learners for lifelong success. Families want to be here and stay here.

This creates a challenge. With more and more families looking to send their children to our highly rated schools, our enrollment has been growing at an unsustainable pace and it’s starting to show.  Click here for a history of enrollment.

We have run out of space, and even with using temporary trailers our average class size is the highest of all neighboring districts. Without adequate space, our students have limited access to the 21st Century programming that is readily available to students in other districts. As a result, our academic ratings are starting to slip.

We face other challenges as well. Our student-teacher ratio is by far the highest compared to our peer districts. Our instructional time is limited. Our resources are being spread thin trying to maintain two buildings, also leading to inefficiencies in staffing and limited choices in electives. Using mobile classrooms leads to significant safety and security concerns that must be addressed.

How old are our school buildings?

Hynes Elementary School: Built in 1957

Golf Middle School: Built in 1961

How will the referendum impact my taxes?

To achieve the needed improvements, District 67 has placed a referendum on the ballot in the upcoming June 28 election. This $56 million referendum will fund construction of a new PreK-8th grade school to replace the existing two schools with an approximate tax impact of $747/year for the average $300,000 homeowner. Visit our   Tax Impact Calculator to determine the impact based on your home’s assessed value.

How do my taxes in D67 compare with other school districts in the area?

We have made incredible progress improving our finances by implementing a zero-based budgeting philosophy and better utilizing our resources. We now spend the least per pupil of any peer district in the region. We have reduced spending on administrative costs and staffing so we can invest our limited funds in classrooms. As a result of our fiscal responsibility, ee have steadily increased our fund balance to a much healthier level while maintaining a tax rate that is 20% lower than our neighboring districts.

Is there an additional benefit to building a new school versus expanding the existing schools?

Yes. Building a new school building has two additional benefits to the community. It will allow the district to become even more efficient and effective with the public’s tax dollars. And once construction is complete, the district will be able to sell or lease the current Golf Middle School, which would provide additional revenue that could be used to fund additional teachers to lower class sizes and provide more specials for students.

Will bonds approved by referendum be used to cover salaries and benefits?

No. Bonds will only be used to fund needed infrastructure projects. By law, these funds must only be used for that purpose because referendum language is legally binding. We will continue to fund salaries and benefits out of our standard operating budget. Any funds approved by the community for their schools will be 100% invested in improving our school infrastructure.