Referendum to appear on ballots

Mia Bourlokas
Staff Writer
On January 27, the ECC Board of Trustees voted to place a referendum on upcoming ballots in District 509.

The referendum will ask voters whether to modernize and renovate select ECC facilities such as the Student Resource Center and the library, which does not meet Illinois standards.

If the referendum is passed, ECC will most likely add more nursing programs and training for safety jobs such as firemen and replace outdated math and science equipment in the MSC building. Many out-of-date roofs and walls will also be replaced.

Examining Needs and Creating Opportunities for Regional Excellence (ENCORE) has supported the referendum and has reached out to the community with campus open houses and surveys. In addition, ENCORE has informed all District 509 tax payers that their dollars in the end will all equal up.

“We have 100 reasons to go forward and one reason not to: the economy,” said John Jilek [Co-Chair of Encore]. "When it comes to education, some things are more important, even in the face of a troubled economy."