No D214 Referendum In 50 Years Doesn't Mean No Property-Tax Increases
District 214 says it has not asked voters to approve a referendum in more than 50 years. That doesn't mean the district’s property-tax burden has remained flat.
The historical numbers show substantial growth:
1974 property-tax extension: $29,781,927
2024 property-tax levy: $293,519,594
Dollar increase: $263,737,667
Percentage increase: 886%
Total increase: 9.9 times the 1974 amount
Inflation accounts for part of that increase, but not all of it. Using the Consumer Price Index, District 214’s 1974 extension equals approximately $189.5 million in 2024 dollars.
The district’s 2024 levy was still approximately $104 million higher than that inflation-adjusted amount. That represents a 55% increase after inflation.
Enrollment moved in the opposite direction:
1975-76 enrollment: 19,823 students
Projected 2024-25 enrollment: 11,702 students
Enrollment change: 41% decline
Based on those enrollment figures, the district’s inflation-adjusted property taxes per student increased from about $9,560 to $25,083 per year. That is an increase of approximately 162%, or more than two-and-a-half times the inflation-adjusted 1974 amount.
The district’s reported property-tax rate remained relatively stable. It was approximately 2.403% in 1974, compared with 2.445% in 2023. But the district’s taxable property base expanded substantially, allowing it to collect considerably more revenue without a referendum.
The referendum claim therefore needs context. District 214 may not have asked voters to approve a referendum in more than 50 years, but its annual districtwide property-tax amount increased from approximately $29.8 million to $293.5 million. That is an 886% nominal increase, a 55% increase after inflation and a 162% inflation-adjusted increase per student, while enrollment declined approximately 41%.
These figures measure the districtwide tax extension and levy. They do not mean every individual homeowner’s District 214 tax bill increased by 886%. Individual bills depend on property values, exemptions and each property’s share of the district’s tax base.
Sources: Illinois Property Tax Statistics, 1974, Table X, page 96; District 214 FY2025 audited financial report; Consumer Price Index annual averages.