Public Hearing about District 99’s Property Tax Levy to be Held Tomorrow
By Tomas Uriostegui
Last month, District 99 presented information about the proposed property tax levy at the monthly school board meeting. The board is scheduled to have a public hearing about the proposed levy tomorrow, Wednesday, December 11, 2019 at Unity Junior High School at 6:30 pm, before they vote to approve it. Property tax levies affect the amount of property taxes Cicero residents will have to pay.
What is the tax levy?
The tax levy is the district’s official request for revenue from property taxes. According to the presenter at the November meeting, the district calendar to inform residents about this tax levy was as follows:
11/13/2019: Tax Levy was presented at District 99 School Board Meeting
11/28/2019: The notice of the public hearing was to be posted on the newspaper
12/11/2019: District 99 will hold a public hearing on the proposed tax levy and vote
12/14/2019: District 99 will file a formal request to the Office of Cook County Clerk
As with most school districts, property taxes for Cicero District 99 are one of the largest sources of revenue to fund and operate educational programs, provide students with transportation and maintain buildings and grounds. This year, the board is requesting a levy that is 5.3% higher than last year’s.
What else happened at the November board meeting?
The meeting was held at Sherlock Elementary School, a new $35 million school with an emphasis in STEAM and dual language education. Sherlock Elementary opened its doors to students pre-k through 6 this academic school year.
The meeting lasted about an hour and a half. The first 30 minutes included presentations from Sherlock Elementary students and recognition awards. The second half of the meeting was followed by Superintendent Rodolfo Hernandez’s reports. Attendees were provided with a copy of the agenda but were not provided a copy of the reports and presentations. The tentative tax levy for 2019 was briefly discussed.
Before the board adjourned to executive session they allowed comments from the audience. Cicero Independiente asked about the recent Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Report Card which is a report on how well the district is meeting student needs. The report card rated four Cicero schools as underperforming. We asked the board about plans to make this information available to parents that had children in the four underperforming schools and whether this information would be available in Spanish.
“If you take a look at our report card you also notice that our schools have been coming out of the list which is an accomplishment and if you need more information, you can go on our website,” said Superintendent Rodolfo Hernandez.
We also asked Superintendent Hernandez about their plans to address the four underperforming schools and where people can get more information about those plans. He referred us to the district website to learn more about the plan.
After the public comments, motion to adjourn to executive session was introduced by president Thomas M. Tomschin and second by Derek Dominick.
What is the Cicero District 99 Board of Education?
District 99 is governed by a seven member board elected by Cicero residents. The board makes decisions that impact Cicero’s 16 schools and are elected to serve the needs of children in grades pre-k through 8. Board meetings are open to the public and are held in the evening once a month unless a special board meeting or public hearing is called. Here are some duties and powers they have:
Approving the annual budget, tax levies, major expenditures, payment of obligations, annual audit, and other aspects of the District’s financial operation; and making available a statement of financial affairs as provided in State law.
Presenting the District’s report card and school report card (s) to parents/guardians and the community; these documents report district, school and student performance.
