Voters appear to pass bond referendum questions for Yorkville, Oswego school districts, St. Charles request shot down

It looks like Yorkville School District 115 and Oswego School District 308 will be proceeding with their planned facilities work, following the apparent passage of their respective bond referendum questions posed to voters in Tuesday’s election.

With all precincts reporting, the two districts’ ballot measures seem to have secured a majority of voters’ support, according to unofficial election results.

St. Charles School District 303, however, looks to be headed back to the drawing board, with unofficial election results showing its bond issuance request failing to obtain the needed votes.

In recent months, the three west suburban districts have each been making a case for voters to approve their respective requests to issue bonds for renovations and infrastructure work.

Combined, the three districts’ requests totaled more than $700 million.

Bond referendum questions allow voters to decide whether a school district or other public entity can borrow money, generally for capital projects. The issuing of bonds is typically paid back through property taxes, so a district or other entity has to seek voter approval of the levying of property taxes that will pay back those bonds.

Similar measures were approved by voters for Indian Prairie School District 204 in 2024, and for Kaneland School District 302 last year.

On the November ballot, St. Charles D303 requested $282.5 million by way of a bond referendum question. Combined with $30 million in district funds, that money was to be used to pay for a variety of repairs and replacements in the district’s buildings, as well as accessibility and classroom space upgrades and a new fieldhouse at St. Charles North High School. Work was slated to be done at all of its schools.

But now, with all precincts reporting, unofficial election results from the Kane County Clerk’s Office show a little under 57% of voters within the district in Kane County voting against the measure. About 53% of eligible voters in DuPage County likewise voted against the referendum question, unofficial DuPage County results show.

The request was expected to increase homeowners’ property taxes. Per a district tax calculator, a $500,000 home would have seen a roughly $645 annual increase.

Yorkville D115, on the other hand, presented voters with a bond issuance request that is expected to keep the tax rate flat.

That measure appears to have secured a majority of support from voters in Tuesday’s election.

With all precincts reporting, unofficial results from the Kendall County Clerk’s Office show nearly 55% of district voters in Kendall County casting their ballots in favor of the measure. Almost 59% of eligible voters in Kane County likewise voted in favor of the referendum question, according to unofficial results from the Kane County Clerk’s Office.

This is not the first time recently that District 115 has tried to secure voter approval of such a measure. Back in March, the district requested voter approval to issue bonds, but the proposal was shot down.

In the months since that measure’s failure, the district sought community feedback and pared down its bond issuance request from $275 million to $159 million.

The district now plans to build a new middle school and new elementary school with the funds.

“It’s exciting,” District 115 Superintendent Matt Zediker said over the phone Wednesday. “The community came out and supported … what we proposed for our district and our community.”

And he said it’s been “a long time coming,” following numerous town halls and listening sessions about the proposal.

“We responded and created a plan that kept (the bond issuance request) tax-neutral,” Zediker said, “and I think, you know, our community respected that.”

The district has cited overcrowding issues and a desire to reduce student transitions between school buildings as primary reasons why facility updates are needed. District 115’s enrollment has risen by more than 700 students since 2021, according to the most recent available figures from the Illinois State Board of Education. The district currently serves just over 7,000 students.

Now, following the apparent passage of the referendum question, the district appears poised to proceed with its facility plans.

Zediker said the district is looking to break ground in the spring, with the new buildings expected to be open in fall 2029.

Meanwhile, the district will need to adjust attendance zones for its schools in light of the new buildings and closure of a couple existing ones, which will also lead to “staff movement,” he said.

Oswego D308, meanwhile, asked for voter approval in Tuesday’s election to issue $317 million in bonds to pay for capital work — mostly infrastructure, as well as for some safety and security work and other renovations. Improvements are slated to be done on all of its school buildings.

With all precincts reporting, unofficial results from the Kendall County Clerk’s Office show about 64% of district voters in Kendall County casting their ballots in favor of the measure in Tuesday’s election. About 67% of district voters in Will County had likewise voted in favor of the referendum question, according to unofficial results from the Will County Clerk’s Office, and nearly 76% of district voters in Kane County voted in support of the measure, per unofficial clerk’s office results.

“We are very grateful for the community’s support that came out,” Theresa Komitas, Oswego D308’s chief communications officer, said over the phone Wednesday.

“The way that the results panned out was really a testament to this being really a community-led campaign, with students … at the center of it,” she added.

The district had previously failed to secure voters’ approval of a referendum question back in 2020, which would have increased its operating tax rate to generate money for the district’s general fund.

But this more recent measure specifically highlighted a “tangible need,” Komitas said.

“Going into buildings, it was obvious to see where we had equipment failures, where we … have opportunity to increase security,” Komitas said.

A majority of District 308’s buildings were constructed within the same seven-year span from 2001 to 2008, the district says, meaning HVAC systems, roofs and plumbing are all wearing out around the same time, prompting a need for facilities work.

The planned improvements include things like infrastructure upgrades, updated flooring, separated gym and cafeteria spaces for two elementary schools currently using a shared space, classroom additions at one elementary school and renovated bathrooms and improved athletic fields at the district’s high schools.

The money is also specifically earmarked for capital work, giving voters assurance that the funds will be spent on improvements to the facilities, Komitas noted.

The district’s ask is not expected to raise property taxes — in fact, officials have said the district’s debt service tax rate is slated to decrease in the coming years as a result of other debt getting paid off over time.

Going forward, Komitas said, there are plans to form a citizen group that would act as a sort of subcommittee to provide input on the work and the timeline for it.

Komitas said the district has been developing a plan for several years about the planned work and what to prioritize first. She said the “most urgent” needs are the safety and security work, as well as any facility issues that “potentially would interrupt the use of the building(s) for school” — leaking roofs and plumbing issues, for example.

Work would start in 2027, Komitas said, noting that major construction that would interrupt school is slated to take place over school breaks.

mmorrow@chicagotribune.com