The Westmont CUSD 201 Board of Education meets Tuesday, Sept. 8, at 6:30 p.m. with a $68 million bond referendum less than two months from the ballot. The meeting is at Westmont Village Hall, 31 W. Quincy St.

It is the board's second regular session of the 2026-2027 school year, following the Aug. 18 meeting. The board voted July 21 to place the bond measure on the Tuesday, Nov. 3 ballot, as we reported when the board acted.

The referendum, branded "Forward Together," would authorize $68 million in bonds to build and equip a new kindergarten-through-fifth-grade school at the Miller site. The new building would replace both Manning and Miller elementary schools, according to the district. CUSD 201 also plans to acquire the necessary land and use proceeds from the future sale of the Manning and Miller properties as part of the facilities plan.

Public comment time shortened

Residents who want to speak will have less time than earlier this year. The district's meeting notice lists three minutes per speaker, down from the five minutes allowed at meetings through June. The district did not explain the change.

Total public comment is capped at 30 minutes, with no single subject allowed more than 20 minutes. The board's notice states that public comment "is not an engagement time." Questions requiring follow-up will be handled afterward by the board president or Superintendent Jack Baldermann.

Speakers must fill out a card at the sign-in table and hand it to the board president before the meeting begins. They must state their name.

How to watch and participate

The meeting will be livestreamed, with a link posted on the district's website. Agendas and meeting documents are available on the district's Diligent Community Portal. As of the district's Sept. 5 notice, the full agenda for Tuesday's meeting had not yet been posted.

More information about the referendum is available on the district's Forward Together page. Voters will decide on the $68 million bond question on Tuesday, Nov. 3.