HP_120618

10 | December 6, 2018 | The highland park landmark news
hplandmark.com
North Shore School District 112
No tax increase for $75M middle school redesign
Stephanie Kim, Freelance Reporter
In the next three to five
years, two middle schools will
receive a $75-million face-lift.
The redesign plan is included
in the first phase of Superintendent
Michael Lubelfeld’s long
range plan, which the board
of education unanimously
approved Tuesday night.
The project comes with no
tax increase and calls for $40
million in renovations at Northwood
Junior High School — to
be renamed Northwood Middle
School — and $35 million at
Edgewood Middle School.
The board also unanimously
approved to draw up to $20
million from its $49 million
fund balance, to proceed with
sale of $55 million alternate
revenue bonds and to authorize
the superintendent to form a
citizen advisory committee for
construction projects.
“While these votes are the
end of a process, they’re really
the beginning of an exciting
time for the district
— beginning of true capital
improvements long overdue in
our community,” board president
Eric Ephraim said at the
Tuesday, Nov. 27 meeting.
Although the board’s decision
puts the middle-school
issue to rest, board member Alexander
Brunk said many questions
remain about the community’s
longstanding debate over
school reconfiguration.
businesses
From Page 8
children.
“We have to support our
small businesses in the area so
they stay open,” she said.
On their way to Love that
Spice were Noel and Rose
Garcia. They were showing
Caroline Caubien, their relative
from Germany, downtown
Highland Park. Caubien was in
Round It Up
• Kevin Ryan, the district’s
assistant superintendent
for teaching and learning,
updated the board on the
2018 Illinois Report Card
results. At a glance, about
54 percent of the district’s
students in grades 3-8 met
or exceeded state standards
in math and English. While
the district outperformed
the state in both subjects,
Ryan noted significant
performance gaps among
The plan aims to build out
Northwood for up to 600 students
and Edgewood for up to
950 students, with the current
middle school feeder pattern
unchanged for now.
This means students from
Oak Terrace, Red Oak and
Wayne Thomas Elementary
Schools will matriculate to
Northwood while students
from Braeside, Indian Trail,
Ravinia and Sherwood Elementary
Schools will attend
Edgewood.
Additionally, the preschool
will remain at Green Bay Road
School until sold, as phase I
calls for, and will relocate to
Red Oak or another site.
“This district was created
25 years ago by merging three
districts into one. Yet the invisible
line running down Walker
Avenue, Half Day Road and
town for the holidays.
“This area resembles
some small town markets in
Germany,” said Caubien.
Another business that was
not overlooked was Orphans
of the Storm. The canines and
felines longingly looked at the
humans who entered hoping
one of them would become
their forever family.
One of them was 11-year
old Cash, a Terrier-mix, who
Hispanic, English Learners,
special education, and lowincome
students.
• The board
unanimously approved
an intergovernmental
agreement with Deerfield
School District 109
regarding the sharing of
property tax revenue from
the former property of the
Solo Cup Company at 1700
Deerfield Road. For each
tax year of the agreement,
District 109 will receive
Park Avenue that divides the
Northwood boundary from the
rest of the district remains the
same,” Brunk said. “I believe
we are making a mistake by
putting off decisions on these
issues to an eventual Phase II
somewhere down the road.”
Board member Art Kessler
shared in Brunk’s concerns, but
said the administration doesn’t
necessarily have to wait until
Phase II to start that discussion.
Kessler urged the board
to start that work as early as the
beginning of next year.
Lubelfeld agreed, emphasizing
the importance of continually
improving the plan as
needed to solve the facilities
dilemma the community has
faced for nearly a decade.
“Let’s not focus on what
you didn’t get with this. Let’s
not focus on what is yet to be
has been waiting for his forever
family for two years. The
pleading in his eyes said it all.
“We are looking for homes
especially for senior dogs,”
said Daniel Silver, Orphans of
the Storm. “Some medical and
adoption fees will be waived
until the end of December.”
“The great thing about Highland
Park is that people shop
locally,” said Jenny Dolan,
manager of Jayne Boutique in
69 percent of property tax
revenue generated by the
subject property and District
112 will receive 31 percent.
The agreement applies from
and including 2017 to until
and including 2038, and
will automatically renew for
one-year terms thereafter —
unless either party decides
not to renew the agreement.
• The board tabled
discussion on the approval
of an internal audit proposal
until its Dec. 18 meeting.
done,” Lubelfeld said. “Focus
on what we are going to be
doing.”
Prior to the vote on the middle
school redesign plan, the
board also held a brief public
hearing for its $72.4 million tax
levy request.
All members except Brunk
approved the request, which
is 3.5 percent higher than last
year’s tax extension of nearly
$70 million. Brunk declined to
comment on his vote.
The district expects to receive
$71.9 million of the tax
levy request, limited by the
Property Tax Extensions Limitation
Law, according to Chris
Wildman, the district’s chief
financial officer.
The board’s next meeting is
on Tuesday, Dec. 18, at 7 p.m., at
the Green Bay Early Childhood
Center, 1936 Green Bay Road.
HP. “That is what makes this
community so vibrant.”
“Highland Park is a city of
unique boutique-like businesses
with one-of-a-kind
items and with a customer base
of first-names,” added Diana
Schaps, owner of City Woods.
“Be a fan of downtown
Highland Park and the Alliance
and shop small even
when it is not Small Business
Saturday,” said Pup.
HP toy store
transforms based
on owner’s ‘pure
imagination’
Erin Yarnall, Editor
Oompa loompa, doompa dee doo, if
you’re a Willy Wonka lover, Beanstalk
Toys and Books has an event for you.
The Highland Park toy store, located
at 654 Central Ave., has been handing
out Wonka Bars since Nov. 5 in preparation
for the store to transform into
Willy Wonka’s factory.
“I’m always trying to think of something
new to do promotions,” store
owner Pam Hillman said. “We love to
do events.”
They’ve previously brought in live
llamas and reindeer, and have brought
in horses and carriages to give shoppers
rides throughout the streets of
downtown Highland Park.
For this event, they’re bringing in
Willy Wonka and an oompa loompa,
characters from the 1971 film “Willy
Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,”
for attendees to take pictures
with on Dec. 15.
The store will open at 9 a.m. that
day for children who have received a
golden ticket. The store has been selling
Wonka Bars for $1.50 each, or free
with a purchase of $100 or more. The
proceeds from the Wonka Bar sales
are going to help a family in need,
according to Hillman.
“Not everyone is doing as well as
they would like to be during the holidays,
and it’s sad to see some of these
families who struggle just to have coats
and hats for the kids,” Hillman said.
“We want to just see everyone have a
good holiday.”
Each golden ticket ranges in value
from $20 up to $500, and the winners
get an hour to redeem their tickets.
At 10 a.m., the store opens up
to the general public, who then
get their opportunity to visit Willy
Wonka’s factory.
“We’re going to have giant hanging
lollipops, chocolate fountain, cotton
candy,” Hillman said. “I just love
having people in the store. I love their
excitement and their enthusiasm.”