We acknowledge some type of solution is needed for our district and RSP's independent enrollment forecast shows us that we are in desperate need of space for elementary space, NOT high school space.  RSP's 90-Page Report also shows that Central High School is COMPLETELY SUFFICIENT for space for the next decade saying:

• "There is adequate 9-12 Building(s) capacity district-wide with the building addition." (report page 62)
  
• "Central High School is currently over the functional capacity, this will be remedied by the addition of classrooms in 24/25".  (report page 63)
  

While the district claims the cost of $224.6M over 30 years won't cost you "more than $10 a month", they have failed to disclose the total impact of a 450,000 SF high school on our annual operating budget, which can dramatically impact property taxes from one year to the next.  We estimate that cost will be between $20 and $25 million annually at a minimum -- an amount that will push our annual operating budget over the $100 million mark. With the new high school slated to come online in August of 2028, a projection of future operating expenses should have been performed and presented as a part of our district's due diligence on this proposal.  It has never been done.

More economical options exist to address the issues we face at a far lower tax burden than the current referendum offers leaving more tax money on the table to support our students and teachers in our annual tax levy.

This referendum is full of unknowns such as:

• unconfirmed future development/growth dependent upon 5,000+ new houses to be built and within the next decade
• increase in future operating expenses of over $20 million+  which equals another increase in taxes through the operational budget
• costs for proposed new programming is not specified and unknown 
• uncertainty around being able to hire & retain teachers in our current environment where we have the HIGHEST turnover in all of Kane County, let alone a growth environment
• elementary school attendance boundary changes that would see hundreds of our youngest K-5 students lose bus privileges and become walkers if Prairie Knolls Middle School becomes an elementary school

The enrollment forecast for the next 10 years shows 742 new students joining our district across all grades.  249 elementary, 162 middle, and 331 high school.   60% of the forecast is dependent upon aggressive new housing development that all indicators currently point towards staying slow.  That's too much variability to even consider taking on an obligation of this magnitude. 

We pride ourselves on being a small district with a rural, hometown feel and strong roots.

• The current Central High School has been in service for LESS than 40 years, features an “Alumni Hall”, and has been home to two generations of residents in our town in some cases.
• We want to maintain the $22 million investment we just made in 2016 that was approved by the taxpayers with the understanding that it would keep CHS in operation as our high school through at last 2038, plus the $9+ million investment we just made to add the 20-classroom addition that is not yet in service.
• RSP's data shows a functional capacity for CHS as 1,914 students with a projection of 1,805 students 10 years from now (2033/2024).  The data shows we need ELEMENTARY space immediately and high school space is more than sufficient for 10 years.

We can make a better plan to address potential growth at a much lower cost when it happens, not “if” it happens, leaving more money to put towards improving teacher retention and educational outcomes for all of our students FIRST.

A significant lack of trust exists between the community and the district, reinforced by a series of financially irresponsible decisions leading to the waste of close to $10 million that could have been put towards other higher priority needs for our teachers, bus drivers, and students.  Transparency & trust should have been the foundation of this process.  Instead they have been absent.  Now our district has budgeted another $1 million for "New HS Planning" to be spent without any details as to how it will be spent.

• 5,700 taxpayer homes excluded from the 2022 Focus Groups with 157 people deciding we ALL should take on a plan for $195 million debt.  NOW that amount has been increased to $225 million after less than a year since the last referendum vote.  A $30 million increase in cost after just 5 months?
• Independent enrollment forecast does NOT support the need for a new high school or middle school with only only 277 new students expected in the next 1-5 years (a total of 742 new students expected across ALL grades over the next 10 years and that's IF 5,000+ new homes are built in the next 10 years.  The highest number of homes built in our district over a decade was 2300 homes between 2000 and 2009.  Why would we expect to build DOUBLE that in the current economic climate?
• Independent facilities analyses performed shows we may not be maximizing all of our space and exploring all options to manage our current levels of enrollment more appropriately.
• 134 acres of debt-free land on Rohrsen Road wassold back to the original seller at a $3 million loss in 2024 and we confirmed that the land was completely usable and suitable for building.  There was no need to take this loss and incur a $5 million expense for 300 acres of new land we did not need.
• 300+ Acres of land on Route 47 that was not listed for sale was suddenly purchased for $5 million within a 30-day window. 
• A Steering Committee convened behind closed doors with only 2 board of education members to avoid triggering the Open Meetings Act requiring the meetings to be open to the public.  
• $9 Million dollars spent on planning for a new high school with $350,000 of that spent just this August 2024.  We've voted no to a new high school TWICE and they are still spending our tax dollars for it!

This is just the short list of troubling things that have taken place during this referendum process. 

We all like to think of our district as one of "the best" in our area and many people pride themselves in saying our district is "highly sought after".  The fact is, our district and our schools face many challenges.  There is a direct relationship between district test scores and home values.  Performance, not facilities, translate to higher home values and demand to live in a school district.

• Our district has a 95% graduation rate, but 43% of our graduates are not proficient at reading and 58% of them are not proficient in math.(ISBE 2023 Proficiency for Central CUSD 301).  When you look at the numbers across specific demographics, it is clear some of our students are being left behind.
• We lack the pay and benefits package to be truly competitive in our county which would increase teacher retention and attract the best talent to our district.
• Our ongoing transportation challenges remain unchanged, leading to long travel times, packed buses, inconsistent bus routes and regular drivers, and late afterschool transportation for sports activities.
• Lack of appropriate support systems for our growing ESL (English as a Second Language) learners, which now comprises almost 10% of our student population.
• Refusal to add more Special Education teachers as requested by our teachers across ALL 7 schools.  In fact, not only was their request denied, our district REDUCED the number of existing Special Education positions for the 2024-2025 academic year.
• Our best performing school is our oldest and smallest with arguably the least favorable of all our elementary facilities.
• Significant challenges in our Special Education programming & support services.
• NO "gifted" programming and according to ISBE, we have no "gifted" learners in our district to report.

The catastrophic combination of this $225 million referendum and the increased operational expenses mean we will have even less money to invest in our teachers, our staff, our students, and our bus drivers in the coming years.