Facilities Plan 2026 Home

• Most District 63 schools are 56-70 years old.
• Core building systems—mechanical, electrical, and plumbing—are at end-of-life and require major replacement to remain safe and functional.
• District-wide Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance issues limit accessibility for students, staff, and community members with disabilities.
• Enrollment is projected to increase by more than 200 students, and several schools are already overcrowded.
• The District has placed a $120.6 million bond referendum for the November 2026 ballot to address its highest-priority facility and site needs.
• In response to community feedback, the District revised its original proposal, reducing the estimated tax impact by 26% by modifying the scope of the proposed improvements. 
• The estimated tax impact is $314, or about $26.17 per month, for a home with a $350,000 fair market value, down from $423 under the original plan.

Facility Needs

District 63’s capital facility needs include:

• Aging infrastructure: Critical plumbing, electrical, and heating/cooling/air quality systems have reached the end of their useful life. Much of this equipment is now more than 50 years old. 
• ADA Accessibility Gaps: Many areas both within and outside our schools do not meet current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, including restrooms, pathways, and existing lifts, which are inconveniently located and disruptive to learning. 
• Safety and Security Issues: While District 63 has addressed many safety and security issues districtwide, Gemini Middle School, Apollo Elementary School, and the Family Resource Center need entryway upgrades. At some schools, drop-off/pick-up areas and parking lots require improvement. 
• Overcrowding and Space Constraints: Most of the schools are overcrowded, and many classrooms are not designed for today’s learning needs. Space is lacking to support current programming for specialized instruction and student support.
• Projected Enrollment Growth: Based on 2023 estimates, District enrollment is projected to increase by more than five percent, or about 200 students, by 2033. 
• Outdated Learning Environments: Many classrooms lack natural light, proper acoustics, and flexible furniture. 
• Inconsistent Learning Conditions: Significant differences exist from one school to the next, with some students learning in updated classrooms and others without access to the same quality of space or resources. 

Proposed Improvements

If the bond referendum is approved by voters, facility and site improvements would include: 

• Safety, Security, and ADA Accessibility Improvements: Improved hallway traffic flow, updated fire safety systems, ADA-compliant routes and restrooms, secure entryways, removal of mobile classrooms, and new elevators in elementary buildings. 
• Aging Infrastructure Updates: Districtwide system upgrades, including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, lighting, and exterior repairs, allowing for improved air quality, comfort, energy efficiency, and long-term reliability. 
• Targeted Additions to Address Overcrowding and Capacity Needs: New and reconfigured classrooms would help relieve overcrowding and provide spaces suitable for today’s instructional needs. Additions at Apollo, Melzer, Mark Twain, and Washington would provide additional classrooms and support areas. (This approach would minimize disruptions to learning, as students could remain in their schools during construction.)
• Classroom Updates to Provide Modern, Right-Sized Learning Environments: Updates would improve lighting, ceilings, floors, acoustics, furniture, and technology. Libraries and small-group spaces would be updated to support flexible, modern instruction. 

How were needs identified and prioritized?
The District conducted facilities assessments, life-safety surveys, and educational adequacy reviews to evaluate building conditions, safety needs, and learning-space requirements. Needs were prioritized based on urgency, system age, equity and consistency across schools, and impact on daily operations, student learning, and accessibility.

Would all schools be updated under the proposed plan?

Excluding the recently constructed Early Learning Center, every District 63 school would receive improvements under the proposed plan. The scope of the work differs by building because each school has different needs based on age, layout, and existing conditions. 

Most elementary schools would receive a wide range of updates, including mechanical, plumbing, and electrical upgrades, ADA improvements, certain safety and security enhancements, classroom upgrades, and reconfigured learning and support spaces. Gemini Middle School, however, would receive only targeted improvements. 

Gemini underwent a significant expansion and modernization project in 2020 and requires far fewer upgrades than other buildings, including limited infrastructure updates and secure-entrance enhancements. 

Why are classroom additions included in the proposal?

Several schools lack sufficient space to support current enrollment, special education, and student-support services, and enrollment is projected to grow in the coming years. Classroom additions would aim to relieve overcrowding and provide right-sized learning environments. At schools like Apollo, Mark Twain, Melzer, and Washington, additions are proposed to add space within a smaller footprint and allow classrooms to stay in use during construction. 

What is a bond referendum?
A bond referendum asks voters to approve borrowing funds for capital improvements, such as construction, renovations, and major system replacements. If approved, the bonds are repaid over time through property taxes. Bond funds can only be used for facilities and cannot be used for operating expenses.

What is the estimated size of the proposed bond referendum?
District 63 has placed a 25-year, $120.6 million bond referendum on the November ballot.

What is the estimated tax impact?
The estimated annual tax impact is approximately $314 ($26/month) for a home with a fair market value of $350,000. 

Has the District been fiscally responsible?
The District has invested between $300,000 and $6.5 million per year in capital improvements and has used non-referendum bond funding for smaller projects. Major recent improvements, like the Gemini renovation and Early Learning Center, were completed with non-referendum funds. However, with most buildings now 56-70 years old, a more comprehensive funding solution is required to replace major systems and add needed space.

Instead of seeking voter approval of a bond referendum, why not continue repairing and replacing building systems as issues arise?

The District has addressed many needs through ongoing maintenance and targeted projects, but maintenance funding is designed for short-term fixes, not the coordinated replacement of major systems that are reaching end-of-life across multiple buildings.

Addressing issues only as they arise can result in repeated, duplicative work and higher long-term costs. A long-term bond allows the District to plan and complete major improvements comprehensively and more efficiently, rather than relying on ongoing reactive repairs.

What improvements has the District made recently?
The District completed a major renovation and expansion at Gemini Middle School in 2020 and opened a new Early Learning Center in 2020. These projects addressed specific needs at those sites. However, many other District buildings and systems are several decades old and continue to require significant updates.

How does District 63’s tax rate compare to neighboring districts?
District 63’s tax rate is among the lowest when compared with nearby peer districts.

How would the bond funds be allocated by school and improvement category?
The following estimates, provided by our architectural firm, show the anticipated allocation of bond referendum proceeds and capital improvement category.

Allocation of bond proceeds by School

• Apollo Elementary: $54.8M
• Mark Twain Elementary: $16.2M
• Melzer Elementary: $16.2M
• Nelson Elementary: $11.4M
• Washington Elementary: $17.3M
• Gemini Middle: $2.5M
• Family Resource Center: $2.2M

Allocation of bond proceeds by capital improvement Category

• Building Additions: $64.4M
• Accessibility Updates: $11.3M
• Kitchen Renovations: $2.3M
• Heavy Renovations - Learning Environments: $11.1M
• Light Renovations - Learning Environments: $13.6M
• Heavy Renovations - Support Space/Corridors: $9.4M
• Light Renovations - Support Space: $0.8M
• Site Improvements: $2.4M
• Infrastructure Improvements: $5.3M

Was a Health/Life Safety (HLS) Ten-Year Survey recently completed by the State’s Regional Office of Education, and how does District 63 plan to fund the facility needs identified?
Yes. A State-required comprehensive facilities audit was completed. The District plans to issue $35 million in HLS bonds in 2026, not to exceed $35 million, to address the required facility improvements. The improvements addressed by the HLS financing are separate from the proposed renovations and additions to be funded by the bond referendum.

What communities does District 63 serve?
The District serves portions of Des Plaines, Niles, Morton Grove, Glenview, and Park Ridge.

How many students and schools are in the District?
District 63 serves approximately 3,600 students in five elementary schools, a middle school (grades 6-8), an early learning center, and a Family Resource Center.

How old are the school buildings?
Most District buildings are several decades old, averaging nearly 60 years old. The Early Learning Center is relatively new, but many other facilities are approaching or exceeding typical system life expectancies.

• Apollo Elementary (1970), 56 years 
• Early Learning Center (2020), 6 years
• Family Resource Center (1967), 59 years
• Gemini Middle School (1959), 67 years (updated in 2020)
• Mark Twain Elementary (1962), 64 years 
• Melzer Elementary (1956), 70 years
• Nelson Elementary (1961), 65 years 
• Washington Elementary (1959), 67 years 

What if residents have questions?
Residents are encouraged to contact us at proposal@emsd63.org or via “Have a Question?” with questions or feedback. 

Would there be public oversight?
Yes. If the referendum is approved, the District would provide regular updates, including funding and construction details, through its website, social media, and other forms of communication channels. 

Would there be financial reporting and audits associated with the bond funds if the referendum is approved by voters?

Regular project and budget reports would be provided to the Board and available to the public. Monthly Board meetings are open to the public and are broadcast and recorded. Also, Illinois law requires all school districts to be audited annually by an independent accounting firm. Please refer to the Business Services section of our website to find our most recent audited financial report. It is also important to note that for over a decade, District 63 has received the Certificate of Excellence in Financial Reporting from the Association of School Business Officials International. Approximately seven percent of the 851 Illinois school districts receive this award. 

Transparency matters. This calculator is designed to help you understand how the proposed District 63 referendum could affect your property taxes.

To use the calculator, enter the amount you paid in property taxes for 2025 (based on the 2024 levy). The calculator will provide a personalized estimate of the annual increase you may see on your property tax bill as a result of the referendum.

This estimate reflects the projected annual impact of an East Maine School District 63 referendum bond issuance. The bonds would be repaid over 25 years, and the additional tax impact associated with the referendum would remain on property tax bills for the life of the bonds. When the bonds are issued, the District is required to file the total principal and interest amounts to be collected each year with the Cook County Clerk. These annual amounts are fixed and will not increase year over year.

This calculator cannot account for certain factors that may affect your actual tax bill, including changes in your property’s assessed value or changes in the overall assessed value of property within District 63 boundaries. As a result, your actual tax impact may differ from the estimate provided.

The referendum-related amount will not appear as a separate line item on your property tax bill. Instead, it will be included within the District 63 line item, which also reflects the District’s overall tax levy. While the District’s levy may increase annually, the Property Tax Extension Limitation Act (PTELL) limits that growth to the lesser of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or five percent.

Click here to use the Tax Impact Calculator

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Registering to Vote
There are several ways to register to vote in Cook County, including in person, by mail, early, and even on Election Day.  Visit the Cook County Clerk’s Office for the most up-to-date information regarding registration.

Where to Vote

• During Early Voting, which generally begins two weeks before Election Day, voters can stop by centrally located polls, often found at Village or City Halls, libraries, and other facilities. You can find a list here. 
• On Election Day, in-person voters go to their own polling place. You can find your polling place on the Cook County website. 

Questions about Voting
Many questions can be answered on the Cook County Clerk's Office website. The Elections Department of Suburban Cook County is located at 69 W. Washington St., Suite 500, Chicago. Or you can call 312.603.0906.

What You'll See on the Ballot

If you are a registered voter, you can log in to view your ballot, which will include the referendum question. Referendum ballot questions are required to be written in legal terms. The District wants voters to be aware of what they will see on their ballot.

Shall the Board of Education of East Maine School District Number 63, Cook County, Illinois, improve the sites of, build and equip additions to, and alter, repair, and equip school buildings and facilities, including, but not limited to, installing safety and security improvements, increasing accessibility under the Americans with Disabilities Act, updating roofing, mechanical, plumbing, electrical, heating, and cooling systems, renovating classrooms and libraries, and installing energy-efficient improvements; and issue its bonds to the amount of $120,600,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?