Kaneland School District 302 is moving forward with facility improvements in district schools after voters approved its issuing $140 million in bonds earlier this month, according to a news release from the district.
In the April 1 election, over 55% of voters expressed support for the school district’s request to issue over $140 million in bonds to pay for building improvements at all campuses across the district, according to official final Kane County election results.
Now, the district has made a plan for the improvements, which are focused on improving safety and accessibility, modernizing classrooms and upgrading buildings’ infrastructure, the news release said.
The district outlined its next steps, which include: Forming committees of community members, staff and students; making a project website; holding meetings for feedback and implementing systems to evaluate progress on the projects; drafting designs and making a construction timeline that will “avoid interfering with student learning;” and providing regular updates to the community — including financial updates — and sharing visual progress of the renovations.
All of this is coming amid concern about funding for the district and other local entities as public opposition to the Crown development project mounts in Sugar Grove. The 760-acre mixed-use development was approved by the village board last September, but has continued to generate backlash.
In the same election that moved along Kaneland’s bond sale, voters in Sugar Grove passed an advisory referendum asking the village to reverse the development project, and ousted the village president, who supported the project, and a village trustee who voted in favor of the Crown development in September.
In February, the school district said it was considering legal action against the village over the tax increment financing, or TIF, district planned for the development, citing concerns that the arrangement would limit property tax revenue for the school district.
In a TIF district, property taxes from the new development do not go to taxing bodies as they typically do. Rather, the extra or “increment” taxes created by the development of the property go into a special fund used to pay for costs related to improving the area, rather than to taxing bodies as they usually do, according to past reporting.
mmorrow@chicagotribune.com
