No-tax increase referendum approved by Dist. 303 board
St. Charles Unit District 303 residents will have a referendum on the April ballot to address, but it's not any of the scenarios they've seen to date.
School board members voted to put a question to a vote that will not increase taxes, but also blocks a tax decrease in the near future from occurring. The decision was fueled in large part by phone survey results that suggested the community would easily vote down the original $294 million plan put forward by the Summit 303 process, but might back a smaller referendum to complete part of the Summit 303 vision, especially if it didn't involve a tax increase.
If approved, the community would get rebuilt or renovated versions of all three middle schools plus a brand new Davis Elementary School. Those changes were all discussed in the overall $294 million tax increase initially recommended by the Summit 303 process, but rejected in a subsequent telephone poll. The work on Wredling Middle School would be a bit less than originally envisioned in order to include Davis in the plan.
School board members and district staff all agreed Davis was the elementary school most in need of an upgrade because of classroom space and the overall age of the building. Davis scored low marks for technology, access for disabled students and security, all matters the community said were of prime importance during the recent telephone survey. The trade-off is Wredling may only see the technology and security upgrades from the $294 million plan.
The board spent much of its debate arguing price points associated with bonds that would be issued to pay for the construction projects. The volatility of the economy, interest rates and the housing industry all played major roles in determining the amount the school board felt comfortable borrowing. At the end, they settled on a plan that will cost about $114 million.
"One of the inherent aspects of this is a trust between the board and the community," said Board President Kathy Hewell. "I feel that we have earned the community's trust. We intend to follow best practices."
To back up the intent of the referendum, the board debated including a resolution in the record to clarify that the money will only go toward construction on the middle schools plus Davis Elementary and nothing else. The board also approved a resolution by a 4 to 3 vote about the acceptable interest rate tied to the issuance of the bonds. The true interest costs of the bonds will not exceed 6.25 percent, according to the resolution.
"This is one security measure we can use to assure voters that we will not be raising taxes," said board member Karla Ray. "It fits the time. It makes it very clear to the public what we expect and what we expect from them."