Homewood District 153 board of education approved a 2025 levy of $22.63 million. 

The levy will raise an estimated $580,000 in new revenue. Under Illinois law, governing bodies can increase the levy by 5% or the Consumer Price Index, whichever is less. CPI is 2.9%, so the levy reflects that amount of increase.

The district will reduce the levy by $1.55 million to comply with Property Tax Relief Grant stipulations, according to Chief School Business Official Eric Trimberger.

The levy shows an increase of approximately $485,000 for new construction within district boundaries, but Trimberger said he isn’t certain Cook County will register that much growth.

Bond Sale for Life Safety

The school board agreed to sell $10.94 million in Life Safety bonds over the next several years. The district recently went through an assessment of Willow, Churchill and Hart Schools building needs that were put into three categories. The bonds will cover a new roof and new HVAC units on James Hart School this summer. The work at Hart is considered the most urgent.

Superintendent Scott McAlister said the Illinois legislature recently changed rules on how schools can sell Life Safety bonds. It is giving District 153 greater leeway for the bond sale and use of the money while at the same time not increasing property taxes to cover the debt.

Hart’s bursting at the seams

This school year James Hart School, serving sixth, seventh and eighth graders, is teeming with students. The eighth grade class has always been a large group, and this year another 50 students transferred in pushing the class size to 274 students.

Those additional students have skewed the numbers and pushed the class size to 30 students per room, Superintendent Scott McAlister said. To relieve that above-normal class size, three teachers have agreed to teach additional sections of social studies, science and language arts through the end of the year. 

Food drive

Students at Willow, Churchill and Hart Schools collected food staples for Respond Now, a south suburban caring agency in Chicago Heights. The drive coincided with parent-teacher conferences, the Hart School musical and the Thanksgiving holiday. It also was the district’s Tom Brabec Day of Service program this year that aims to emulate former school board member Tom Brabec’s years of service in the community.