Washington Grade School District 52 takes its duty to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars very seriously. That’s one of the reasons that we currently have the lowest property tax rate of any K-8 district in Tazewell County. More information on the impact on your tax bill can be found here.

The Washington Park District tax levy rate would not increase for the acquisition of Lincoln Grade School. The Park District issues bonds on a yearly basis for capital projects and would continue to issue the same bonds. Ongoing maintenance for the LGS building would be provided by bond proceeds along with operating revenues generated by programming fees and charges.

While no decision has been made on what the Washington Park District will do with the current main office on Spruce Street, the two options being discussed are: Try to find a buyer for the building that can repurpose the building for another use. Demolish the building and create additional green space.

If the referendum does not pass, the District will still need to complete $19 million in required renovations to bring LGS up to state building codes as required by the State of Illinois via the Health, Life, and Safety laws. The school board can issue Bonds without voter approval, but due to debt limits, they may need to borrow in phases over 20-30 years. This phased approach could drive costs above $23 million due to inefficiencies, and the impact on tax rates could end up being as high—or higher—than the proposed 49-cent increase on the ballot. The results of a recent study by Imaginova and Keith Engineering Design takes a deep dive into the current conditions of Lincoln Grade School. More info can be viewed here

Yes, a considerable amount of time and effort has gone into ensuring that traffic flow provides safety for our students, staff, and families, while also being good neighbors to those around the campus. Alterations have been made to early plan proposals to divert traffic away from residential areas. The new campus configuration will also improve drop-off and pick-up procedures for the existing Washington Middle School building. More info can be found here.

Yes! Tours will be offered on March 5, March 11, and March 17 during school hours. Click here to sign up for a tour in advance.

There are multiple early voting opportunities both in person and via mail. In-person opportunities begin February 20th at the County Clerk’s office in Pekin. Additional in-person voting opportunities will be offered at the Washington Township office on multiple weekends in March. Election Day is April 1, 2025. Please see these links for more specifics on voting opportunities: Early voting: https://tazewell-il.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2025-Consolidated-Early-Voting-Schedule-1.pdf April 1, 2025 polling places:https://ova.elections.il.gov/pollingplacelookup.aspx

Information is available on registering to vote here.