NORRIDGE, IL – Pennoyer School District 79 will host a ribbon cutting ceremony this evening to celebrate a new addition to the school as well as the tireless efforts of educators and the Pennoyer community members who made the critical upgrades possible. After four failed building bond referendum attempts, voters passed a $9.7 million building bond referendum for District 79 during the April 2023 Consolidated Election. The first phase of the renovations is now complete.
The voter-approved referendum helped fund a new, two-story addition to Pennoyer School which includes: three “learning hubs” or flexible spaces, a resource room for small groups or meetings, locker rooms, eight unisex bathrooms, an elevator (which the school did not originally have) a Spanish classroom, art room and music rooms. The special education wing received accessibility and security upgrades and a new fire alarm system was installed throughout the entire building.
“Pennoyer students deserve a world class education in first rate facilities. The Pennoyer Education Association (PEA) worked tirelessly alongside community members to inform voters on the upgrades our school desperately needed,” PEA President Sarah Adkins said. “Since the referendum passed in 2023, we have seen amazing improvements that will benefit student safety and accessibility. None of this would have been possible without the advocacy of our educators and support from the Illinois Education Association.”
“The improvements from the referendum will not only benefit today’s students, but also
the future students at Pennoyer School for years to come. We are grateful to Pennoyer
Education Association, Illinois Education Association and the Pennoyer community members for their dedication and perseverance. We all worked together to make this happen and we could not have done it without the union’s support,” District 79 superintendent Kristin A. Kopta, Ed,D said.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house will take place at Pennoyer School (5200 N. Cumberland Ave., Norridge) on Wed., Jan. 29 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
###
The 135,000 member Illinois Education Association (IEA-NEA) is the state’s largest union. IEA represents Pre K-12 teachers outside the city of Chicago and education support staff, higher education faculty, retired education employees and students preparing to become teachers, statewide.
