READ THIS BEFORE YOU VOTE!!!

Two things you need to kNOw regarding the referendum question come voting day:

1. It is the very last item on the ballot. Past all the judges, past the other referendum and advisory questions. Very last item. Be sure NOt to skip it.

2. The question is easily misinterpreted as it only states the $25Million requested amount in referendum bonds. It does NOt include the $20Million in taxpayer monies being used by the school out of cash on hand (taxpayer money). $45Million in taxpayer money would be spent if the referendum passes. 

Please spread the word to every voter in Oak Park and River Forest on these two very important points.

Here is the referendum question. Note it does not specify sizes of: the pool, the new parking garage, the classrooms etc. It is vague. Should we be voting on $45Million worth of vague "ideas"???

"Shall the Board of Education of Oak Park and River Forest Consolidated High School District Number 200, Cook County, Illinois, build and equip a swimming pool addition to replace the existing 88-year-old swimming pools at the Oak Park and River Forest High School Building; alter, repair and equip said School Building to improve the learning, performing arts and locker room spaces therein; improve the site thereof; build and equip a parking garage to replace the existing parking garage; and issue bonds of said School District in an amount not to exceed $25,000,000 for the purpose of paying costs thereof?"
#D200VoteNo

Does SIZE matter? The 25-yard standard

Early voting begins Monday, October 24. Election day is Tuesday, November 8. Where to vote? See links in box to the right. The D200 Referendum question appears LAST at the very END of the ballot. The question refers only to the $25 million bond issue, not the full cost of the project. VOTE NO.

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Much has been made about the size of the pool, both in the original proposal for a 50-meter (Olympic-size) pool and the current 40-meter “stretch” pool. Some might suggest that OPRFHS aquatic teams lack competitiveness with other schools because our current pools are 25 yards long and schools like York and Lyons Twp. have “stretch” pools. So does it matter? Let’s take a look at the information posted on the the high school website FAQ page… 

First, note that 25 yards is the standard lap distance in high school aquatics. At the college level it is different, but we are a high school, not a college!  Also, Leyden (E/W) Morton (E/W) and LT have 2 campuses, so two pools is really just one pool per campus.

(source:www.oprfhs.org/facilities/Frequently-Asked-Questions.cfm -second question down in the right-hand column)
More data on pool comparisons is on p. 25 here: www.oprfhs.org/board-of-education/documents/NatatoriumProposal.pdf  

Perennial top program Hinsdale Central has a 25-yard, SIX lane pool.  Their boys' team won the state title in February 2015.

Chicago Tribune article

Another consistent top finisher at the state level is New Trier. The pool on their main campus is an 8-lane, 25-yard pool that is 80 years old!  It has an advantage over the OPRFHS pools in that it was built with extremely wide decks, and has been remodeled over the years to keep up with changing codes.

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Did You kNOw...

Late last year this Board approved a $37M dollar plan to build an Olympic Pool on the site of the parking garage without going to Referendum and allowing the voters the choice on how to spend their money? The Petition for Referendum halted that madness. Now we get to vote. Since the current Referendum question was approved on 8/16/16 we are hearing of plan changes, cost changes, cost attribution changes, incomplete designs and somehow after 60 days of consideration after the community meetings in April this is being billed as a Long Term Facilities Plan not just a pool plan. But the pool and related expenses make up 84% of the total dollar amount. How are the voters to TRUST this decision is the right choice for the community? #D200VoteNo

Two things you need to kNOw regarding the referendum question come voting day:

Don't be FOOLED by fancy rhetoric

DON'T BE FOOLED!  The pro-referendum side paints this as a "historic" opportunity to make an investment in academic excellence and the arts.  They say almost nothing about the enormous pool to be built, or the wasteful destruction of the parking garage. They do not mention the total cost of the plan - $44.5 million - of which almost $37 million are the costs directly related to building the new pool facility. 
Very little is left over for other improvements. (updated costs linked HERE).  
This is NOT a school plan, it's mostly just a pool plan!

Use this LINK to request a sign.

WE ARE NOT ANTI-POOL. Most of us support improving the aquatics facilities at OPRF, but we favor a more pragmatic approach than the plan selected by the school board. VOTE NO on the bond issue that supports the more wasteful plan and send a message to the school board to follow through with a less costly and less wasteful plan such as the one referred to as Option A in earlier discussions.

Subscribe to our mailing list for occasional e-mails with updates on this issue, links to newspaper articles and other information, and to see HOW YOU CAN HELP with distributing flyers, displaying a yard sign and other ways! We promise not to deluge your inbox with frequent messages, so please sign up! Use this link: http://eepurl.com/cck3Yf

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HOW TO TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS VOTING NO IS OK:

Looking for a way to tell your friends and neighbors its OK to vote NO on the pool referendum? Heres a letter a Vote NO supporter sent to her local contacts.  A great template to create your own personal letter. Do it this weekend!!! #D200VoteNO

"Dear friends:

As you know, our wild campaign season also includes a local referendum question that has become quite contested and controversial. I’m writing because I am concerned that one side of this question is not being portrayed correctly and to share information as you make a decision on November 8. The pool referendum in question would allocate funds for one pool option – one of the two most expensive options considered by the high school during many months of community meetings, surveys, committee meetings, etc. I am in firm agreement with Vote Yes proponents that our 88-year old pools need to be completely rebuilt. There are in very poor condition and have changed little since I went out of my way to get out of swim class more than 30 years ago! However, I am VOTING NO because there IS another viable option – one that would rebuild the existing pools, provide additional space for other activities and preserve a parking garage that has many years of life left - all for far less money, less disruption to campus, and less reliance on our ever-increasing property taxes. 

Did you kNOw...

We have a lot of information that you can share on our BASIC FACTS page!
Check it out.  

Check HERE for a recap of prior "Did you kNOw..." posts.

Did you kNOw...

Just over one year ago on October 14, 2015, this high school Board voted unanimously to demolish the parking garage and proceed with construction of an Olympic sized (50 meter) pool on the site. To fund that project’s $37.5 million price tag the Board would have taken $20 million from its fund balance and $17.5 million in non-referendum working cash bonds. This funding approach was chosen for the sole purpose of bypassing voters and avoiding a referendum.
#D200VoteNo

Two things you need to kNOw regarding the referendum question come voting day:

1. It is the very last item on the ballot. Past all the judges, past the other referendum and advisory questions. Very last item. Be sure NOt to skip it.

2. The question is easily misinterpreted as it only states the $25Million requested amount in referendum bonds. It does NOt include the $20Million in taxpayer monies being used by the school out of cash on hand (taxpayer money). $45Million in taxpayer money would be spent if the referendum passes. 

Please spread the word to every voter in Oak Park and River forest on these two very important points.

Here is the referendum question. Note it does not specify sizes of: the pool, the new parking garage, the classrooms etc. It is vague. Should we be voting on $45Million worth of vague???

"Shall the Board of Education of Oak Park and River Forest Consolidated High School District Number 200, Cook County, Illinois, build and equip a swimming pool addition to replace the existing 88-year-old swimming pools at the Oak Park and River Forest High School Building; alter, repair and equip said School Building to improve the learning, performing arts and locker room spaces therein; improve the site thereof; build and equip a parking garage to replace the existing parking garage; and issue bonds of said School District in an amount not to exceed $25,000,000 for the purpose of paying costs thereof?"
#D200VoteNo