YES LFHS

This post is intended for the LF/LB community

We are voting on an important referendum for our high school. In the past past few days Parents Care and a mysterious group of "concerned parents" (who did not provide their names) have "published" their concerns about our schools and recommended a no vote

This is my public response to them.

My personal experience with three very different children at LFHS has been that the school met them where they were and challenged them. They also provided very different opportunities, as well as incredible support when needed. All three children followed very different paths and feel they were very well prepared for their journey after high school.

In regards to the points raised by the groups mentioned above, I agree that our test scores are not as high as they have been in the past. I also believe that our current superintendent is actively addressing this and I am confident in the administration to do what is needed to turn this around. I also agree that this referendum is a lot of money. I disagree that the schools financial management has been unsatisfactory. I agree that there are areas where money can be saved but I do not believe the community is in agreement about those areas. The majority of this community wants us to offer what larger high schools offer and many parents in this community fight for the school to ADD programs. And many, many parents ask for additional resources for their children that costs the district money. I can't personally validate the exact percentage, but our high school has a very high percentage of students who require accommodations for testing. Those accommodations require additional staffing which costs money. Parents in our community want accommodations and programs for their students. I understand that. If/when the district starts cutting programs, parents object. We can't offer everything everyone wants and have the lowest spending.

The last point of objections was that the District is Embracing Divisive, Destructive Woke Ideology. The "concerned parents" state that the role of a school is not to indoctrinate politically or to push rote learning of boring, pessimistic, divisive political ideologies such as inclusion. They, like Parents Care, believe that "these kids are the next generation of leaders who must make America stronger, more secure, and more harmonious and prosperous for all" while simultaneously not including anything broaching the subjects of inclusion, diversity or equity. I find it hard to imagine a harmonious, prosperous future if we disregard these ideas.

I caution you to believe everything these groups tell you. Parents Care states that two of their values are:

Vigilance in protecting our children.

Commitment to advocating for what is in the best interests of our children.

Yet despite these values their executive director Frank McCormick published a video of students (taken by a LFHS student without the knowledge or consent of the students) in a counseling room at LFHS and erroneously said it was a "gay study hall". I personally asked Parents Care Board Member Philippe Melin to publicly denouce this action. To date that has not happened

I support the LFHS school board that was vetted by our Caucus and who voted unanimously to put this referendum on the ballot. I encourage you to vote yes

- Martha Zeeman

The Forest Scout has a great article about the upcoming referendum vote.

VOTE YES on April 4th.

A guide for first-time student-voters in the 2023 referendum election Alongside the fresh air of spring and newly green front lawns are yard signs featuring the “Say YES to LFHS!” slogan — supporting the District 115 referendum, which will appear on this year’s local election ballot. Lake County’s D115 school district residents across Lake Forest, Lake Bluff...

Reminder! Please join us this upcoming Saturday, March 18 at Lake Forest High School (1285 N. McKinley Rd., Lake Forest, IL) for a referendum informational session with Superintendent Matthew L. Montgomery and his team, in addition to tours led by current LFHS students and staff. You will have an opportunity to see the building in person and learn about the anticipated benefits, financial and tax implications, and history of the building and capital improvements.

Supervised Playtime Available During Adult Tours and Presentation:
This is a family-friendly event and we will offer supervised playtime for children between 10:30am-12:30pm! Children can be dropped off in the Lower Commons for games and sports with LFHS Wellness staff and student volunteers while adults participate in the 10:30am tours and the 11:30am informational session.

Join us for one more opportunity to learn about the D115 Referendum in person! This Saturday, March 18, Superintendent Matthew L. Montgomery and a panel of experts including D115 Board of Education President Jenny Zinser will discuss District financials, the anticipated benefits, categories of improvement, tax implications, and other important information.

Tours of the building led by students and teachers will be offered before and after the information session!

Saturday, March 18
10:30am-1:30pm
Lake Forest High School East Campus - 1285 N. McKinley Rd., Lake Forest
10:30am - LFHS Student and teacher-led tours
11:30am - Informational Session with Dr. Montgomery
12:30pm - LFHS Student and teacher-led tours

Save the date! On Saturday, March 18th LFHS will be hosting building tours and an informational meeting starting at 10:30 AM. More information coming soon!

"Safety feels different in today's world." - Jenny Zinser, Board President.

Vote YES for LFHS on April 4 to bring our historic high school into the modern world to ensure the safety and security of our students.

D115 Referendum - Categories of Improvement (Safety & Security) The Lake Forest Community High School District 115 Board of Education is pursuing a $105.7M referendum on the April 4, 2023 Lake County election ballot.One o...

“We have a substantial number of systems that are truly at end-of-life.” - John Noble, D115 Board Member

“My biggest concern is having to call the superintendent one day and say, ‘We’re gonna need to close a portion the building because we lost an HVAC handler, because we lost a main electrical distribution panel.’” - Dan Mortensen, Director of Facilities.

Vote Yes for LFHS on April 4.

D115 Referendum - Categories of Improvement (Maintenance & Infrastructure) The Lake Forest Community High School District 115 Board of Education is pursuing a $105.7M referendum on the April 4, 2023 Lake County election ballot.One o...

Are we a community of ‘We’ or a community of ‘Me’?

We are grateful to Thompson Ford AND Katie Axford Ford for their public support of the referendum. Please read their thoughtful letter below;

FROM THOMPSON AND KATIE FORD

On April 4th, 2023, members of our community will take to the polls to vote on a referendum to determine the fate of Lake Forest District 115 School Board’s request for $105.7mm of our taxpayer dollars to bring our high school facilities up to par.

Referendums often tend to be controversial and those seeking these funds need to convince the majority of a community that the investment of our tax dollars is justified. That is not always easy to do.

As a resident of the Lake Forest and Lake Bluff community since 2001, my wife Katie and I - like all of you - are certainly vested in our community. We have taken the time to review the plan submitted by the District 115 Board and have found it to be both thoughtful and necessary.

That is why we both are voting yes for these important and overdue improvements on April 4th. We believe a yes vote for the referendum is a yes vote for our community and are excited about the opportunity these improvements bring to our kids, our educators, and to the community in general.

This note is to express our personal view on why we support this referendum, and perhaps shed some light on why we believe this is such an important project for not only our children, but for the community as a whole.

Why do we choose to support this referendum?

We believe, as residents of this community, we need to step up and support our elected School Board officials and those committed to teaching our kids in the classroom. I recently had the honor of serving our community as a District 67 School Board member. That experience gave me a profound appreciation for how tight the budgets are at our schools. It is important for those in the community to understand that a large part of each district’s budget goes to salaries and benefits, and at the end of the day, the funds available for capital and discretionary spending is smaller than one would think.

We believe that voting to approve this important spend will provide our educators and our kids a 21st century classroom environment that not only will improve the learning experience for our kids and educators, but will also result in a more engaged and productive academic environment.

We believe support of this referendum will help remedy the academic progress concerns that many in the community state as a reason for their opposition to this vote.

Our taxes are already too high. Won’t passing this referendum only add to our tax bill?

We are all sensitive to high property taxes in Illinois. The reality of it is, though, that Lake Forest taxes are amongst the lowest in the state. In fact, we currently have the 3rd lowest tax rate of 852 school districts in the state and we would still hold that position even after passing of this referendum.

It is true that if this referendum passes, our tax bills will go up. However, we think it is important to also consider the impact on your real estate values if this referendum fails.

We believe that a ‘no’ vote on the referendum would send a terrible message to our kids, our teachers, administrators, and our School Board, not to mention any family considering a move to Lake Forest.

How did we get to such a high price tag on these projects?

Lake Forest District 115 is one of only 89 schools - out of 17,000 School Districts across the United States - that carries a bond rating of Aaa, the highest credit rating available.It is no understatement to say that our high school facilities are far from Aaa in quality. The time is now to fix this gap between our rating and the quality of our District 115 facilities.

The School Board is seeking a referendum for our facilities because we kicked the can down the road at the High School for too long.

Since the last referendum in 2006, it is our belief that the District delayed deploying significant funds toward the school’s infrastructure for many reasons, some, but not all of which are listed below:

The Financial Crisis beginning in 2008, threw communities across the nation into turmoil, with slashed budgets and capital projects pushed into the future.
We had the embattled tenure of our previous Superintendent, who clashed repeatedly with the District 115 School Board, which stifled progress.
We experienced a two-plus year battle with COVID.

Today we have an Administration and a School Board in sync and focused on the future. Together they have put in countless hours trying to determine the best way to enhance the physical plant of our schools and provide a superior environment for our kids to learn in each day.

Failure to pass this referendum, will keep the status quo. The issue of maintenance will not go away. The price tag today to bring our facilities up to date may seem high, but the cost of these improvements will only compound if we choose to delay.

Are we a community of ‘We’ or a community of ‘Me’?

Before you fill out your ballot, ask yourself ‘What makes Lake Forest and Lake Bluff so special to you?’ For Katie and me, it is undoubtedly the people who have made this place so special for our family, these twenty-plus years. This community is generous, it is caring, it is smart and it is giving. Lake Forest represents a community of ‘We’, not a community of ‘Me’.

We hope when you go to the polls on April 4th (or before if you vote early, which we ENCOURAGE), that you feel like we do. Vote yes for our schools and yes for this community of ‘We’ in which we are so privileged to live.

Sincerely,

Thompson and Katie Ford

Early voting starts on March 10th at the Lake County Courthouse and on Monday March 20th at LF City Hall. See hours and information below

Worth your time to tour the building

Parents of future scouts put this on your calendar

D115 presentation to city council

LF City Council District 115 Report - 2/6/2023

questions re the referendum answered by District COO

D115 Referendum 2023 - Your Questions Answered Featuring Dr. Jennifer Hermes, Chief Operating OfficerThe Lake Forest Community High School District 115 Board of Education is pursuing a $105.7M referendum ...

Quick notice re: election signs.

people can have more than one sign but you tcan’t have more than one of the same sign.

Only one sign per candidate or issue is allowed on a single property or zoning lot. Multiple signs are permitted if they are for different candidates or issues (i.e., one sign for candidate A, one sign for candidate

Yard signs available. Support our schools. Support our students. Message if you'd like a sign.

Presentation to the City Council re the referendum

LF City Council District 115 Report - 2/6/2023

https://youtu.be/vUIbRuUVMJU

D115 Referendum 2023 Overview The Lake Forest Community High School District 115 Board of Education is pursuing a $105.7M referendum on the April 4, 2023 Lake County election ballot.The h...

https://www.yeslfhs.org/

Information regarding classroom updates

D115 Referendum - Categories of Improvement (Traditional Classrooms) The Lake Forest Community High School District 115 Board of Education is pursuing a $105.7M referendum on the April 4, 2023 Lake County election ballot.One o...

For more information on the referendum please go to www. Yeslfhs.org
Please message me if you'd like a yard sign.

HOME | YesLFHS Repair or replace outdated roofing, plumbing, electrical, HVAC, historical windows, lighting/controls, and masonry. Address exterior enclosure improvements.

https://youtu.be/C5CxGmr_Qqg

Community members prepare for vote on referendum Saige Joseph and Henry Thomas talk about the referendum with members of the district and get a sense of the community and their role in the project.