Evergreen Park Elementary District 124 and Evergreen Park Community High School District 231 are excited to announce tax relief for property owners in Evergreen Park thanks to a Property Tax Relief Grant received by the districts. Taxpayers will see a reduction in their property taxes over the next two years and the districts will receive additional Evidence Based Funding from the state of Illinois. 

This is the second time that D124 was given this opportunity and the fourth time with which D231 was given this opportunity. In order to receive this grant, the district had to abate taxes of $1,842,922 for the next two calendar years. Abatement is defined as the reduction of, or exemption from taxes granted by a government for a specified period. In return, both school districts will increase their annual Evidence Based revenue stream. It is also important to note that Evidence Based Funding comes from the state budget and is not taxpayer funded.

Over the last six fiscal years, there has been the opportunity for both D124 and D231 to abate taxes and see an increase in funding from the state. D124 has abated a total of $6,947,488 while D231 has abated a total of $11,743,944. In total the two school districts have abated $18,691,432 in taxes. 

“We are grateful to the taxpayers of Evergreen Park and thankful to Mayor Burke and Senator Cunningham who were instrumental in passing legislation that led to the creation of the Property Tax Relief Grant!” said District 231 Superintendent Tom O’Malley “We will continue to be strong financial stewards of our community tax dollars minimizing the tax burden.”

“School finances can be complicated, but we aim to be transparent with our community and are constantly seeking opportunities for additional funding sources,” said D124 Superintendent Dr. Jenna Woodland. “This opportunity has been a huge help to our community and the additional funding is directly impacting our students with programming and academic needs.” 

D124 was originally awarded the fiscal year 2022 Property Tax Relief Grant which was only awarded to 37 school districts across the state. Because the district abated more than $1.6 million in taxes for two calendar years, more than $1.3 million was added by the state to Evidence Based Funding.