Whiting schools operating referendum

What a vote means

A yes vote

Adds up to $383 a year for a $250,000 median home (ballot). With no levy today, that is the full change at the maximum. The construction question would add more.

A no vote

No new tax. The superintendent says it would force very difficult decisions, possibly more staff reductions and cuts to student programs.

On the ballot

In full

Whiting's schools ask for a first-ever operating levy of up to 33.72 cents per $100 (up to $2.5 million a year) for 2027-2034, citing projected SEA 1 losses of $800,000 to $1.1 million a year. Voters rejected a smaller 17-cent request in November 2023. The district has already cut nine positions. Whiting voters will also see a separate construction question on the same ballot.

What is being asked for

Most it could charge

$0.3372 per $100 ^[1]

Most it could raise a year

$2,500,000 ^[1]

For how long

8 years

What it replaces

Nothing; Whiting has no referendum levy (2026 certified rates: Debt Service $0.2796, Operations $0.5733) ^[6]. This question appears on the same ballot as a separate $39.3 million construction question (see in-referendum-whiting-construction); the two are independent and either can pass alone ^[1][7].

On a median home

$250,000 (Lake County Auditor certification dated May 29, 2026) ^[1][3] — Ballot figure: +$383 per year at the full rate ^[1]. Net change vs. today (our reading of 2026 certified rates, which show no referendum levy): the same +$383 at the maximum; no separate district estimate was found. If the construction question also passes, its +$530 (ballot figure) would be added ^[7].

If it passes

• Levy up to $0.3372 / $2.5M a year, 2027-2034 ^[1][5].
• Planned uses: staff retention $1.25M, health and safety (including SROs) $0.53M, academic programs $0.38M, class sizes $0.34M ^[2].
• Cost: +$383/yr on a $250,000 median home at the maximum ^[1]. Referendum taxes are outside the caps ^[8].
• No charter sharing planned (none elected to participate) ^[5].

If it fails

• No new tax ^[6].
• The superintendent said reductions 'will force our district to make very difficult decisions, including the possibility of additional staff reductions and cuts to student programs and opportunities' ^[4]. No specific cut list was found.
• Re-try: November 2028 general election ^[8].

How it got on the ballot

• May 26, 2026: the board unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the administration to seek the auditor's certification for a possible referendum; the superintendent's presentation listed Education Fund $2,971,349, Operations Fund $929,079 and Rainy Day Fund $3,982,404, and SEA 1 losses projected at 'between $800,000 and $1.1 million in funding annually' ^[4].
• June 1, 2026 special meeting: the board adopted the Referendum Tax Levy Resolution (motion Ehrlich, second Herbst, 'passed unanimously'; five members present) for a 2027-2034 levy at up to $0.3372 / $2.5 million; no charter school responded asking to participate ^[5].
• DLGF received the resolution June 3, 2026 and approved the language June 5, 2026 (No. 26-012-REF) ^[1].
• Spending plan (2027 estimate $2,500,000): retaining teachers and staff $1,250,000; student health and safety $527,098; academic programs $378,791; class sizes $344,111 ^[2].
• District timeline (May 26): 'Mid-June - Nov 2nd: Be transparent with the community and ask the community to vote yes for Whiting schools' ^[4].

The district's own numbers

• Enrollment: 1,219 (2018-19) to 1,050 (2025-26), -13.9% ^[14]; capital disclosure says 1,000-1,040 over the last three years ^[7].
• Fall 2025: 724 state-funded students with legal settlement; 459 transfers in, 85 transfers out; 56 Choice Scholarship students (IDOE transfer report, as compiled) ^[15].
• 2026 certified rates: Operations $0.5733 (levy $2.82M), Debt Service $0.2796 (levy $1.38M); CNAV $492.2 million, down from $500.7 million in 2025 ^[6].
• LSA estimate (SEA 1): -$62,710 (2026, -2.5%), -$85,190 (2027, -3.3%), -$518,000 (2028, -19.0%) vs. prior law ^[16]. The district's advisors project $800,000-$1.1 million a year ^[4].
• Staffing reductions as of 2026: 9 positions, budget impact $561,979 (2026 savings $388,490) ^[4].
• Teacher retention (district disclosure): 76.47% in 2025-26; five-year average 78.25%; graduation rate 94.7% ^[17].
• 2026-27 salaries (disclosure): superintendent $148,000; certified teachers listed from about $46,435 to $85,221 ^[17].

What came before

• November 2023: first operating referendum, 8 years at up to $0.17 (resolution adopted May 8, 2023), for academics, arts, counseling, athletics, staff retention and SROs; DLGF said it would raise the average residential school tax 46.31% ^[9]. Result: FAILED, Yes 259 (39.85%), No 391 (60.15%) ^[10][11].
• The 2023 plan estimated $1,120,000 a year ^[12].
• No controlled-project referendum by Whiting appears on DLGF's list since 2009; 2026 is its first construction question (see separate profile) ^[13].

What each side says

Other people's words and claims, not ours, each with the page it came from. Where we found no organised campaign on a side, the page says so rather than inventing one.

Questions worth asking

• What would the district cut first if the operating question fails but the construction question passes (or vice versa)?
• What rate would the board levy in 2027?
• Why does the district's SEA 1 estimate ($0.8-1.1M) differ from LSA's (-$63K to -$518K)?
• How many SROs does the plan fund?
• What would the combined bill change be for a median home if both questions pass?

What we could not find

• No district FAQ or tax calculator found; the referendum webpage links only the two disclosure statements.
• No official cut list for a NO outcome.
• No property-class tax breakdown.

Sources