Schools
VIDEO: Mokena 159 Referendum Supporters Rally for their Cause
Community members gathered Sunday in show of support for the Mokena 159 referendum. The referendum, a property tax increase of 29 cents per $100 equalized assessed value, will be on the April 5 ballot.
With only a few weeks until the April 5 election, supporters of the Mokena School District 159 referendum turned out Sunday to rally for their cause in the Front Street Metra lot despite the rainy weather. The referendum would raise the tax by 29 cents per $100 equalized assessed value and would address the district's $2.7 million deficit.
"I'm the first to be a fiscal conservative," parent Drew Haverstock said. "But on something like this, we've gone 34 years without a bump from a tax increase...You can talk about fiscal mismanagement all over the place, but I don't see how you can go 34 years without doing something right."
The rally included educational speakers, speeches from local parents and pro-referendum school board candidates Carrie Zakula and Joe Spalla, while parents and kids carried signs of support along Wolf Road. Officials estimated around 150 people showed up to give support and get more information.
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