'We'll be cutting teachers': Without tax increase, Pennoyer School faces layoffs and elimination of sports

CHICAGO (CBS) -- No arts, no music, no sports and no library.

That's the reality for a struggling a northwest suburban elementary school district. Leaders at Pennoyer School said they had to choose between cutting programs and bringing their facilities up to code.

There is another solution, but as CBS 2's Noel Brennan reports, it will required taxpayers to pony up.

"I'm really proud of our students, our teachers."

No one has school pride like a superintendent, but Kristin Kopta is embarrassed by this building.

"Water does not even turn on in this lab. We have found lead in all the water sources in this room, so we had to shut that down," Kopta said. "We've had this rotted out many times just because it's old pipes and old plumbing. There's a concrete floor that our students and teachers are on all day."

Pennoyer Elementary School in Norridge is the only school in the Pennoyer District that is showing its age. The fire alarm system is outdated and the school is not accessible to people with disabilities.

"This school is small (with) 450 students. So this addition is from the 1960s, but the original portion is from 1956," Kopta said.

The district asked voters for tax increases in 2014 and 2015. Then, it asked for building bonds in 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

"We were really close the last time," Kopta said.

But six times, voters said no. This past November, the district fell short by fewer than 100 votes. It's been 25 years since a referendum passed.

"We also have a lot of seniors that I'm sure are on fixed incomes, families that don't have children anymore. So, our connections are with our families, but it hasn't seemed to be enough to get that 'yes' vote," Kopta said.

"No" votes had consequences.

"So we did eliminate sports for our middle school students. Next year, we'll be cutting six teachers. We'll be combining some classes and we'll no longer have music and art," Koptasaid.

That's unless the seventh time is the charm. The district will ask voters in April for a tax increase and $9.7 million in building bonds. The district wants a school and a building that makes a community proud.

If both referendums pass, the superintendent said homeowners would pay about $350  more in taxes each year. The referendums will be on the ballot on April 4th.