Westmont CUSD 201 holds its fourth public session on a $68 million school-bond referendum at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22, at Westmont Village Hall. The regular Board of Education meeting follows at 6:30 p.m. in the same building at 31 W. Quincy St.

The district has been hosting informational meetings on the referendum throughout the fall. Previous sessions took place virtually on Aug. 31, in person Sept. 10 at South Early Childhood Center and Sept. 16 at J.T. Manning Elementary School. The session is open to all.

What the referendum asks

The Nov. 3 ballot question asks voters to authorize $68 million in school building bonds. The money would fund a new school on the current C.E. Miller Elementary School site at 125 W. Traube Ave., replacing both the J.T. Manning and C.E. Miller elementary buildings. The project also covers land acquisition, playground space, additional parking and drop-off and pick-up zones, according to the DuPage County proposition listing.

Bond payments would be spread over 30 years, according to district posts on Facebook. Community Unit School District 201 (CUSD 201) has said it plans to use proceeds from a future sale of the Manning property as part of the financing.

The district has branded the effort "Forward Together" and posts updates at cusd201.org/forward-together-26.

How to attend and speak

Both the informational session and the board meeting take place at Westmont Village Hall. The board meeting will also be available via livestream.

Residents who want to address the board during public comment get three minutes each. The total public comment period is capped at 30 minutes, with no more than 20 minutes on a single subject. Speakers must fill out a card at the sign-in table and hand it to the board president before the meeting begins.

Residents who cannot attend in person can watch the livestream and find referendum details on the district's Forward Together page.