Deerfield D109 moving ahead with $87.8M referendum

Deerfield Public Schools District 109 is holding its first referendum in 20 years after the school board voted to place a revised referendum question on the March 2026 ballot.

The district plans to request $87.8 million, a reduction of more than 30 percent from initial proposals, to help fund the construction of two new elementary schools, the renovation of two additional elementary schools and various infrastructure improvements along D109.

According to a district webpage on the referendum, Walden and Wilmot elementary schools would be completely replaced. Kipling and South Park elementary schools would be renovated and see additions. Caruso and Shephard Middle Schools will benefit from various safety, security, HVAC and learning space updates.

District communications indicate that more than 60 percent of the total project costs would be funded through D109 resources, including fund balances and alternative bonds, with the remaining 40 percent to be funded through the referendum.

The work would address aging infrastructure and outdated mechanical systems, ensure schools are ADA accessible, expand and modernize classrooms, and reduce costly emergency repairs and system outages.

The district also says it is more fiscally responsible to move forward now rather than later, with construction price increases estimated at $9 million per year.

Referendum details, a schedule of information sessions, a fiscal impact calculator and FAQs are available on the district’s website.

Cathy Kedjidjian, the district’s communications manager, said the referendum is the culmination of a years-long process to review their facilities and gather community feedback and input.

If the district did nothing, Kedjidjian said it would end up spending $177 million over 20 years just to maintain existing infrastructure.

The initial proposal was for about $121 million, but Kedjidjian said consultants determined the community’s “fiscal sensitivity” was high, recommending a reduction in scope.

The result was multimillion-dollar reductions, the removal of third multipurpose rooms in elementary schools, the reduction or postponement of smaller, non-essential items, and the postponement of some proactive infrastructure upgrades. The updated plan also simplifies playground design and “refines temporary construction needs.”

Kedjidjian said the district’s last referendum was held in 2005 and was only about “keeping the lights on.” Since then, the district has experienced more than 20 years of surplus budgets, she said.

“Now is the time, because we have maintained our facilities as best we can, but the infrastructure is at the end of its life or almost,” Kedjidjian said.

She warned of plumbing problems at all of the district’s elementary schools. South Park has even experienced a mainline break twice in the last 12 months. Even if they did not require the school to close, if such interruptions were to occur inside the building, it would cost $150,000 per portable classroom to move to remote learning while repairs are made.

“We need to take care of these facilities as soon as possible, taking into account the cost escalation that occurs during construction,” Kedjidjian said.

If the referendum is successful in March, work could begin next summer, with work in colleges. Construction of new school buildings for Walden and Wilmot would begin in June 2027, and the two new buildings would open in August 2028. Existing schools would remain open as “transition sites.”

Renovations to Kipling and South Park would begin in June 2028, and the two fully renovated schools would open in August 2029.

Demolition of the old Walden and Wilmot buildings and their conversion to green space would begin in August 2029 and continue until 2030.