Tuesday Tidbits and Friday Facts
Each week, we share our Referendum 2024 social media posts with our community to help them make an informed decision regarding the November 2024 Referendum. You can read each of them here in our Tuesday Tidbits and Friday Facts!
Central 301 Tuesday Tidbits and Friday Facts – Referendum 2024 Social Media Posts
11/1 – Early voting this weekend
To find locations and times, visit the Kane County Clerk’s Office website.
10/29 – Where can I learn more about how our buildings will be retrofitted if the referendum passes?
In September, the District held two Design Dive events that allowed community members the opportunity to review, discuss, and provide feedback about the plans to retrofit our current buildings if the referendum passes. These plans included the retrofitting needed for:
- CHS to function as a middle school
- PKMS to function as an elementary school
- CMS to function as an early childhood center
Additionally, design plans for the proposed new high school were available.
You can review these plans by visiting the Design Dive page of our District website: https://central301.net/referendum-november-2024/design-dive/.
10/25 – Honoring our past, building our future. Let’s move forward together!
10/22 – Have questions about the referendum? Find answers here!
We know there may still be questions out there about the referendum. For more information about our November referendum, visit the FAQ page on our Central 301 website. It’s your go-to source for clear, accurate answers to your questions! 🏫✅
FAQ: 🔗 https://central301.net/referendum-november-2024/referendum-2024-faq/
10/18 – If the referendum doesn’t pass, what might happen?
Central 301’s Board of Education has placed a referendum on the ballot for the November 5, 2024 election to meet the District’s projected future population growth. By building a new high school, moving all middle school students together at the current high school building, converting Prairie Knolls Middle School to a fifth elementary school, and creating an early childhood center at the current Central Middle School, we believe we can create the space we need to educate our students for years to come.
In the event the November 5 referendum does not pass, the District will need to address the anticipated enrollment growth in other ways. Possible actions under consideration include*:
- Shifting existing attendance boundaries
- Adding more mobile classrooms
- Shifting grade levels to different buildings
- Implementing a hybrid or split schedule
- Increasing class sizes across all levels
- Requiring “specials,” such as music, art and health to be taught from a cart or in an alternate location
- Limiting the expansion of skilled trades or vocational programs
Even if we implement these actions, they are not a permanent fix, and a future referendum may still be needed in order to manage anticipated growth in the long term. You can view the full presentation about our enrollment challenge, anticipated growth and possible options shared at the September 23, 2024 Board of Education meeting by clicking here.
*It’s important to note that, if the referendum passes, some of these actions may still be necessary in the short term, as construction of a new high school and the related building conversions will not be completed until 2028.
10/15 – How do I register to vote in the upcoming election?
Election Day is three weeks from today and early voting is underway! You can register to vote online through the Illinois State Board of Elections up to 16 days before the election (October 20 – 11:59 PM).
If you’d like more information about voter registration, just click here: https://clerk.kanecountyil.gov/Elections/Pages/Registration.aspx
If you aren’t sure if you’re registered, you can check with the Kane County Clerk’s office or by visiting this link: https://clerk.kanecountyil.gov/Elections/Pages/Voter-Search.aspx.
10/11 – How will elementary school boundaries change if the referendum passes?
If the referendum passes, Prairie Knolls Middle School will be converted into a fifth elementary school, which will require redrawing the district’s elementary school boundaries. Any boundary map we would create now, based on current information, would likely change in the future as development continues and established neighborhoods either age out or turn over to younger families. To avoid frustration for families and prevent any confusion about where future school boundaries will be, we will wait until closer to an actual shift before creating any new boundary maps.
Please know that the goal of any elementary boundary change is to balance school enrollment numbers among the elementary buildings in order to allow room for future enrollment growth and to reduce the number of boundary adjustments needed in the future. When projecting future enrollment growth, we factor in where new homes are being built, when they will be completed, and the number of students likely to enroll from those neighborhoods. We strive to keep student transportation times as short as possible by assigning students to schools near their homes, when feasible. However, the geographical size and population distribution patterns in our district means this isn’t always practical.
If the referendum does not pass, boundary adjustments will still be necessary, possibly on a more frequent basis. We may need to make smaller, gradual shifts to manage enrollments and to minimize the need for additional mobile classrooms.
10/8 – What would it cost to build an elementary school, middle school, and smaller high school instead of one large high school?
The District has identified building one larger high school as a solution to address the enrollment challenges across all grade levels. While the cost of this solution is significant, the District has determined that it is more cost-effective than constructing a separate elementary school, middle school, and smaller high school to meet the anticipated space needs of our growing student population.
We asked our architect and construction manager to provide us with rough estimates for the cost to build a new school at each level in 2025 dollars:
- A new elementary school, similar to Country Trails, would cost an estimated $58 million.
- A new middle school, similar to Prairie Knolls and with same athletic amenities, would cost an estimated $100 million.
- A new high school, similar to the proposed new high school but smaller, for 1700 students, without a fieldhouse but with the larger auditorium for district-wide use, would cost an estimated $186 million.
- Site/road work expenses would be dependent upon which building was built first but would be a minimum of an additional $11,250,000.
The total estimated cost, in 2025 dollars, is at least $355 million. However, a building plan like this would be phased in over time, which would lead to higher actual construction costs in the future. Additionally, a phased-in plan will likely require the community to approve multiple building referendums over a period of years.
The District has proposed instead to build one new larger high school for $224.6 million because, for significantly less cost, this plan would:
- Provide the same space and increased academic, career, and extracurricular opportunities for every high school student in the District
- Expand the number of elementary schools in the District from four to five, with the fifth school currently located in the area with the greatest existing housing density
- Allow us to bring our 6th, 7th and 8th grade middle school students together in the same building while offering additional fine arts, career, and extracurricular opportunities
- Provide additional space and enrollment capacity for our early childhood program
- Allow us to remain a one high school district
10/4 – Can’t we just change our District boundaries to send students to other districts because of overcrowding?
As a public school district, we cannot deny any student who lives within our boundaries from enrolling. While it’s legally possible to change district boundaries, the process is complicated. It would involve getting approval from the Regional Office of Education or the State Superintendent. This process would require a vote by the school board and petitions from voters living in the area being proposed for a change.
Our school district boundaries have been in place since the 1950s, and we have no plans to change them. Any changes would also need agreement from other school districts, which we do not plan to pursue.
10/1 – Are there other funding sources that could be used to pay for a new school?
Central 301 regularly applies for and receives funding – such as grants – from multiple outside sources. These funds are used to meet a variety of District needs. However, there is no current funding available to us from private, corporate, state, or federal grant sources to build a new school building. At this time, school districts must provide their own funding for such projects.
The District does work with local officials to help ensure development impact fees are established for new housing developments in the District. These fees can help to defray the cost of expanding, modifying, or building new infrastructure. Additionally, we have worked with developers to donate land for our schools. For example, the land for Country Trails Elementary School was donated.
However, while these contributions are valuable, they are not sufficient to cover the full cost of new schools and expansions needed to keep pace with our growing student population. The reality is that the demand for educational facilities outpaces what can be funded solely through developer contributions.
We are working with our engineering and construction management teams to monitor for any grants that could become available to help cover costs for individual portions of the project, such as for energy systems. We will continue to look for opportunities to reduce the financial burden on our community while meeting the physical and educational needs of our students.
9/27 – Why is the proposed referendum higher than before and what does it include?
We understand that $224.6 million is a significant investment, and it is not something that we take lightly.
The November 2024 referendum will fund the construction of a new high school designed to serve 2,400 students. This includes modern science labs, expanded fine arts spaces, career and technical education labs, a three-court gym, a fieldhouse, and a stadium with a track and bleachers. Additionally, the referendum covers the cost of athletic fields and sufficient parking for students, staff and visitors. The design also allows common areas and the auditorium to accommodate up to 3,000 students, meaning we can expand the building with future classroom additions when needed.
The proposed referendum also includes site work and road improvements along Route 47 as well as costs for furniture, fixtures, and equipment (FF&E) for the new building. Originally, we planned to cover FF&E costs using District funds, but our recent $11 million investment in classroom additions at CHS has made it necessary to include these costs in the referendum. The overall plan would convert Central High School, Prairie Knolls Middle School, and Central Middle School into other grade level centers (an estimated $5.75 – $6.25 million), but those costs would be covered through District funds, not the referendum. Lastly, construction costs continue to rise each year, further contributing to the increased cost of this referendum.
Even though the referendum amount has risen, our commitment to meeting the District’s needs in the most cost-effective way remains the same. Instead of addressing these needs through smaller, piecemeal projects over several years (which would ultimately cost more due to rising construction costs), this plan tackles everything in one comprehensive project. By investing now, we avoid the risk of even higher costs in the future.
9/24 – What are the options if the referendum doesn’t pass?
At last night’s Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Esther Mongan shared a presentation addressing questions received from the community: “What Would Happen if the Upcoming Referendum Does Not Pass?” This presentation outlines the possible options and their potential impacts on our schools, students, and community if the referendum fails.
We strongly encourage you to review the full presentation by clicking the link below.
Options if Referendum Fails Presentation
9/20 – A Timeline of Enrollment Growth and Expansion
This timeline highlights Central 301’s steady enrollment growth over the past 40 years along with consistent expansions to meet the needs of our students and community. Since 2006, our enrollment has increased by 98%—almost doubling from 2,594 students in 2006 to 5,070 students today.
However, despite this growth, we haven’t opened a new school in the last 17 years, and now we’re facing capacity challenges that aren’t well-remedied by another expansion. This November, the community will be asked to vote on a referendum to address enrollment challenges at all grade levels.
9/17 – Why do we need CTE (Career and Technical Education)?
Did you know that CTE is an essential part of our curriculum? Under Illinois law, school districts are required to offer CTE programs for middle and high school students to help develop practical skills and prepare “for high-skill, high-wage, in-demand employment that furthers Illinois’ global competitiveness … All students benefit from career-connected learning that emphasizes real-world skills within a selected career focus. Students gain practical knowledge while discovering and preparing for success in potential careers.” -Illinois State Board of Education
Building a new high school and using CHS as a unified middle school provides the space for us to offer more real-world learning opportunities that align with the needs of today’s workforce.
- Learn more about the importance of CTE to our students: https://www.isbe.net/cte
- Learn more about the November 5 Referendum on our website: https://central301.net/referendum-november-2024/
9/13 – If the referendum is approved, when would the new high school and newly renovated buildings be ready?
If the referendum is approved, the new high school would take approximately 2.5 years to complete. The project would begin in the spring of 2025, and we would expect most of the site work, particularly related to sports fields and overall site improvements, to be completed by the spring of 2028. By spring/summer of 2028, all necessary furniture, equipment, and school-related items would be installed to ensure the building is fully prepared for students and staff when it opens.
Under this scenario, renovations would be completed within the same timeframe for the conversion of Prairie Knolls Middle School to an additional elementary school, Central Middle School to an early childhood center, and the current Central High School to a single, unified middle school for the District. We would continue to use the existing buildings while renovations were being completed with much of the needed work taking place during the summers. All four buildings would be ready for students at the start of the 2028-2029 academic year.
For more information about the November 5 Referendum, click here!
9/10 – Will we need another referendum to pay for staff?
No, the District plans to pay for additional staff without any need for a second referendum. If the building referendum is approved, the District will move existing instructional staff into the new/newly renovated facilities. The District does anticipate the need to hire additional maintenance and food service staff if the referendum is approved, but the District can absorb these expenses without the need to pass a second referendum. The District plans to utilize evidence-based funding from the state (which increased significantly this year) and additional tax dollars generated by housing growth in the District to pay for any additional support staff.
Check out the diagram below to see the redistribution of existing staff and students in the event the referendum is approved.
9/6 – If the referendum is approved, will my property taxes be impacted?
Yes. To minimize the impact, the District would structure the bond debt so payment on the new bonds would begin when current bonds are paid off. Additionally, new state legislation would allow the District to repay the bonds over a 30-year-period, rather than 20 years. If your home has a “fair cash value” (as determined by the tax assessor) of $407,000*, and you claim a homestead exemption, the increase would be approximately $116 per year. If you have additional exemptions available to you, the increase would be less. These calculations are based on financing the bond debt at current interest rates; if interest rates decrease in the future, the District would consider refinancing options to reduce the cost further.
(*Per RSP Associates, the Median Home Value in the District is $406,928).
Here is a tax calculator tool to allow you to estimate the impact of an approved referendum on your property taxes.
9/4 – Can we add on to PKMS?
The original plans for PKMS did include an option to add additional classrooms to the academic hallways on the north side of the building. An addition to PKMS would create more classrooms that could be used for core content classes. However, an addition would create some challenges and would not provide the additional space that an increased enrollment would require, such as for physical education, art, music, and career and technical education programs. This would limit the educational opportunities our middle schoolers would have available to them.
As we look ahead, the District’s goal is to find a solution that ensures our students have the space, resources, and educational opportunities they need to thrive.