Voters Approve $9 Million Referendum to Improve Gower Schools

Residents of District 62 said Yes to Gower Tuesday. Nearly 65 percent of voters approved the school district’s request to issue $9 million in school building bonds to make significant repairs and improvements at its two schools.

Residents will not see an increase on their tax bills for the new debt, but rather they will continue to pay at their current rate for the 2004 bond issue.

“Thank you to our community,” Superintendent Steve Griesbach said Tuesday night. “It reaffirms what we always believed that people really value the schools and education in the community.”

According to the unofficial election results, 1,269 people voted in favor of the measure, while 691 voters were opposed. Griesbach praised those community members who volunteered their time to get the word out about the referendum.

Their efforts were led by residents Nancy Neuman and her husband Kevin Kotecki. 

“We had a terrific committee that worked on behalf of the school district to inform the voters about the issues and the importance of this to the school district. They did a phenomenal job,” Griesbach said. “They did everything from fundraising to campaigning door to door.”

Funds from the bond issue will be used to complete 17 projects at and Gower West Elementary School. Among the larger projects at the middle school is the creation of science rooms with lab space, which will help students as they focus on what educators have dubbed the “STEM” areas of study - science, technology, engineering and math.

“We really believe they’ll allow us to provide 21st century learning opportunities for our students, particularly the science labs,” Griesbach said of the improvements.

Work at Gower West includes the renovation of the gym, and increasing the size of the Early Childhood area. The need for Early Childhood services has increased to the point where a second classroom is needed to accommodate all of the students. The Early Childhood program serve students with disabilities as well as those who are at-risk, helping them meet Gower learning standards. 

“They’ll get a jump start on their education, and hopefully we’ll bring them back to typical benchmarks quickly,” Griesbach said.

Other projects funded through the bond issue include the construction of a new gym on the east side of the middle school, along with adequate storage space. An instructional sound system will be added to the existing gym, and existing locker rooms will be remodeled.

A complete list of projects can be found at www.gower62.com. Work on some of the remodeling projects is expected to begin this summer, while work on the larger projects will begin during summer 2013.