ELMHURST – Elmhurst voters overwhelmingly gave their support to a $168.5 million Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 referendum Nov. 6 that asked the community to support substantial facilities improvements.

With all DuPage County precincts reporting, 12,709 voters, or about 62.2 percent, were in favor of the referendum, compared to the 7,730, or about 37.8 percent, who voted against it, according to unofficial results from the DuPage County Election Commission.

The district plans to use the funding for its master facilities plan, which includes rebuilding the district's two oldest schools, Lincoln Elementary School and Field Elementary School, and renovating, repairing and modernizing the district's 11 other schools, making repairs to its administration building, and acquiring a new space for the district's Transition Program, which supports students with disabilities after they complete graduation requirements. The referendum also will allow for all-day kindergarten at all neighborhood schools.

"I would like to thank all of the people who worked so hard to make this a reality that not only addresses our long term facility issues but also provides modern, safe, high quality learning spaces for our children to learn and our employees to effectively facilitate personalized learning opportunities for all children," Superintendent David Moyer said in a statement. "The outcome today reinforces the community's value on the importance of education. This is a banner day for Elmhurst that will help ensure a healthy, vibrant community for decades to come."

Board of Education President Kara Caforio said the board is "grateful" for the community's support of the schools.

“The results of the vote exhibit our community's continued commitment to providing excellent education for both current students and generations of students to come," she said in the statement. "We look forward to working with the community as the Master Facility Plan now becomes a reality for our students."

District leaders will address future steps for the district during the next regularly scheduled board meeting at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13, according to the statement.

Nearly four years of community engagement, borne out of the school community’s desire to approach vast building improvements in a comprehensive way, were culminated in the vote.

The plan is set to address District 205’s building needs for the next 20 years, according to the statement.

If the referendum had been defeated, taxes would have decreased in 2024 or 2025 by about $800 on a $500,000 home, Moyer said at an Oct. 24 community meeting about the referendum.

The Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Elmhurst Teachers' Council and Elmhurst District 205 Foundation's Board of Directors had endorsed the referendum.