Moraine Valley Community College says its fire science, EMS and welding programs have run out of room, and instructors have started moving emergency vehicles outside and shifting classes off campus just to keep training students. Now the Palos Hills school is asking voters in 26 communities to approve a $115 million bond referendum on the Nov. 3 ballot to expand and modernize its career and technical education facilities.
The shortage is not abstract. According to NBC Chicago, Moraine Valley instructors are maxing out classroom space for in-demand career training and the college moved three classes off campus this semester just to accommodate demand. Andrew Hufnagl, the college's fire science program coordinator, told the outlet the school could teach more students and offer more courses if it had a new building. The college's enrollment growth backs that up: emergency medical services enrollment is up more than 119.5% over the past five years, while welding and HVAC/refrigeration enrollment has climbed more than 60%, per the same report.
The space crunch shows up most vividly in the Fire Academy, a 10-week program that meets full days, Monday through Friday, and currently accepts just 16 students per cohort, running twice each semester, according to Southwest Regional Publishing. Instructors sometimes have to move vehicles outside to make room for practical training exercises, the outlet reports — a workaround the college says illustrates just how tight its facilities have become.
Where the Squeeze Is Worst
College documents put real numbers on the shortfall. The Fire Science and EMS programs need around 18,300 additional square feet, according to a Moraine Valley press packet. The Welding program, which operates out of Building T, is about 4,200 square feet short of what it needs, while the Heating and Air Conditioning and HAC Stationary Engineer programs are roughly 7,000 square feet short, the same document states.
The college says it has simply reached capacity and lacks the permanent space to allow for continued growth, as reported by Patch. The $115 million bond would fund roughly 120,000 square feet of expanded, modernized career and technical education space, according to the college's referendum campaign site, yesmoraine.com. Moraine Valley says the improvements are designed to support at least 20% additional enrollment across its career and technical programs, per Patch's reporting.
Six Programs, One Ballot Question
Per a Moraine Valley press packet, the bond would fund buildings and improvements for six program areas: automation and engineering technology, fire science, emergency medical services, automotive technology, HVAC/refrigeration, and welding. The college's bond resolution states that existing funds are insufficient to cover the estimated project costs, and officials have said referendum bonds would typically run for 20 years, according to the college's February 2026 board meeting minutes.
Students who complete Moraine Valley's programs graduate certified as EMTs and, in the fire science track, as firefighters in Illinois, per NBC Chicago's reporting. Many intern with local departments and dealerships, internships that often lead to jobs in the south suburbs after graduation, the station notes, with graduates prepared for entry-level positions in their fields.
What It Would Cost Homeowners
Voters in 26 communities will decide the measure on Nov. 3. Estimates of the tax impact vary slightly depending on the source: Patch reported college officials estimating about $1.50 per year for a $400,000 home and 62 cents for a $300,000 home, while NBC Chicago reported the figure as about $1.36 more per year for a $400,000 home. Homeowners in the district can check the college's online tax calculator, referenced on Moraine Valley's referendum information page, to estimate their own impact.
NBC Chicago reports that south suburban community members have asked for more firefighters, paramedics and EMTs — a need that broader labor data appears to echo. A statewide task force reported that Illinois had 13% fewer firefighters in 2023 than in 2019, though that figure carries low confidence in the underlying data. Separately, Shaw Local reported that the number of volunteer firefighters nationwide fell to 635,100 in 2023 even as call volume more than tripled over the preceding 40 years, with Illinois fire department leaders describing a statewide shortage of firefighters and paramedics that has increased reliance on mutual aid between departments.
Moraine Valley's own labor-market analysis found the region supports roughly 38,000 related industrial-maintenance jobs with about 3,500 annual openings, according to the college's press packet. College leaders say expanded facilities would let Moraine Valley better meet those community needs, with voters in the 26 participating communities set to decide the outcome on Nov. 3.
