Some parents in West Northfield School District 31 believe a gated community of mostly seniors could jeopardize the success of  a tax increase referendum on the ballot for the March 20 primary.

The measure, which was defeated last spring, would raise an additional $1.55 million a year for the district and prevent about $1 million in deep budget cuts over the next two years, according to district officials. The nearly 1,100  Mission Hills residents overwhelmingly  voted against the measure or  didn’t vote at all.

Superintendent Alexandra Nicholson and other district officials  hoped to reach many of those residents during a presentation at the housing development last week. They faced some tough questions.

“Why can’t you balance your budget?” asked one Mission Hills resident. “I run a business. I can’t come to these people and ask for X-amount of dollars so I can open my doors tomorrow.”

The man declined to give his name, but he was identified as a member of the Mission Hills Homeowners Association.

Opposition, to the referendum, has often been nameless–as well as faceless.

Jack Aizuss, a 9-year resident at Mission Hills and a referendum supporter, attended the Jan.31 meeting. He said last year, he and other Northbrook residents received fliers bearing the name of the Mission Hills Homeowners Association urging people to cast “no” votes.

Nicholson has said some Mission Hills residents told her they were instructed by management to vote “no” on the referendum, “because it would increase their taxes.” Nicholson described the content of the fliers as “misinformation.”

Voting results from last year’s election show that support for the referendum was lower in the precinct that encompasses Mission Hills than in any other precinct in the district. Mission Hills residents voted 310 to 25 against the measure, a ratio of about 12 to 1. Districtwide, the referendum failed by a margin of about 2 to 1.

Some people at the  presentation also noted that many Mission Hills residents spend the colder months in warmer climates and aren’t around to vote in spring contests.

Despite the name on the anti-referendum fliers, association members say  they likely would not have come from the group because it does not get involved in political matters.

The rhetoric circulating last year convinced District 31 officials to try to stay one step ahead of any opposition this year. Although school officials cannot legally campaign for or against a ballot measure, they can disseminate facts about the referendum and its potential impact of residents and the school district, Nicholson said.

Last year, officials didn’t start that process until after the Board of Education voted to approve the referendum question, Nicholson said. This time around she began hosting meetings at Mission Hills prior to the board’s vote.

“I’m a true believer of transparency and facts; that if people understand the facts, the facts speak for themselves,” Nicholson said in a previous interview. “That’s why I offered my services to go there (to Mission Hills).”

Tuesday’s meeting was the third she has hosted at Mission Hills — one was in a private residence — and she said more are scheduled throughout the district in February.  She also said requests to give a presentation before the residents association and to recruit an association member to the district’s financial advisory committee were rejected.

Some of the attendees at the most recent presentation were referendum supporters from Mission Hills and the surrounding area. Lynne Gutner, who has served as the treasurer of her Mission Hills building’s individual residents board for 22 years, said she was “appalled” at some of the opposition.

The programs District 31 could cut if the referendum fails, including band and all extra curricular activities, are as important to a child’s education as the core subjects, Gutner said.

“You can’t just put a kid down and give them reading and math all day,” she said. “It’s wonderful to have the arts and music.”

Steve Richards, a district resident, said he said he wished more Mission Hills residents had attended the presentation.

“I have a seventh grader in school. In two years, I’m going to be like the Mission Hills people,” he said.

Richards said that although he doesn’t want his taxes to increase, he also doesn’t want the school to reach a point where it can’t provide a good education. That’s why, Richards said, he would support the referendum now and also any future measures necessary to keep the district healthy.

“There is a stink in District 31, and it’s going to permeate this area,” he said.