District 303 approves nearly $200 million tax levy

Taxpayers in St. Charles Unit District 303 may see a slight decrease in the school district’s portion of their property tax rates in 2025.

District 303 school board members approved a 2024 property tax levy of just under $200 million in a split vote at their Dec. 9 meeting without discussion.

The levy was approved in a 6-1 vote, with board member Edward McNally casting the sole no vote.

The total levy amount, including debt services, is $199,526,549, a 5.21% increase over last year’s extension.

The district is projecting a resulting tax rate of 4.808% ($48 per $1000 of EAV) in 2024 once EAV recovery and new growth are factored in. It would be a slight decrease from the 5.212% ($52 per $1000 of EAV) tax rate in 2023. However, final EAV numbers won’t be available until the spring.

District 303 Chief Operating Officer Justin Attaway gave a presentation on the district’s 2025 budget and the 2024 tax levy extension at the December meeting.

Attaway reported that about 80% of the district’s expenses are for personnel, and the rest are largely comprised of essential services like facility maintenance, transportation, food services, IT, special education and curriculum.

The district has a total cash reserve balance of $138,008,345.

The levy resolution includes a breakdown of amounts levied by expense. The district will levy $138,850,000 for educational purposes, $21,960,000 for operations and maintenance, $5.8 million for transportation, $20.8 million for special education, and $8.8 million for social security, retirement and tort immunity.

With the levy’s adoption approved, the district will file it with the county clerk by Dec. 31.

The state-imposed property tax cap limits property tax increases to less than 5%. If the district submits a tax levy greater than 5%, the county will reduce it to the allowable level before extending the taxes to the community.