Across the Board in D303
Notes from the District 303 School Board Meeting
Meetings are tentatively being held in the Thompson Middle School LRC, located at 705 West Main Street. A permanent meeting venue will become available later this year.
September 9, 2024
Meeting memos, presentations and other documents in BoardDocs
School Board
Joe Lackner, President
Thomas Lentz, Vice President
Matthew Kuschert, Secretary
Kate Bell
Heidi Fairgrieve
Becky McCabe
Ed McNally
For Action
Individual items up for approval by the Board, generally introduced in prior committee meetings.
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Adoption of FY 2024-2025 District 303 Budget
Motion Passed 6-1 (1 absent)
Following a public hearing earlier in the meeting, the Board approved a recommendation adopting the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Community Unit School District 303 budget as presented. Per state law, the Board authorizes a financial budget annually. The budget was placed in tentative form on public display for 30 days, and a notice of the September 9 public hearing was published in the Daily Herald on August 6.
Adoption of FY 2024-2025 Mid Valley Budget
Motion Passed 6-1 (1 absent)
Following a public hearing earlier in the meeting, the Board approved a recommendation adopting the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Mid Valley Special Education Cooperative budget as presented. Per state law, the Board authorizes a financial budget annually. The budget was placed in tentative form on public display for 30 days, and a notice of the September 9 public hearing was published in the Daily Herald on August 6.
St. Charles TIF Extension
Motion Tabled 4-2 (1 absent)
The Board tabled a recommendation to support the extension of St. Charles TIF #4 and sign a memo indicating no objection to the extension. The vote will be postponed until the next meeting in which the Board may take action, which will occur during a Special Board meeting on Monday, September 16.
Transitional English Partnership Agreement with Elgin Community College
Motion Passed 6-1 (1 absent)
Horizon Education Quote - ACT
Motion Passed 6-1 (1 absent)
Board Member Registration - Kishwaukee Conference
Motion Passed 6-1 (1 absent)
Superintendent's Report
Dr. Paul Gordon shares updates on District initiatives as well as school, staff and student activities.
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Charles Farm Proposed Development
As most of you know, during our Business Services meeting on August 26, we shared what we know about the proposed Charles Farm residential development that the city is considering. D303 is not a voting body for the proposed Charles Farm development.
At that meeting, we assessed the potential for increased enrollment, how that could impact schools, and our budget. Due to the uncertainty of this proposed development, the District 303 Administration recommended pausing construction and funding an addition at Richmond to house the Dual Language program. We have met with our dual language teachers and staff at Richmond, explained the situation, and are considering our options.
I have also submitted a letter to the city stating that District 303 does not favor the proposed development as presented. In that letter, we urged the City of St. Charles to support District 303’s objection to the existing Land/Cash formula and to require Pulte Homes to increase its funding to support the appropriate housing of more students. Should the city be unable to support this adjustment, we respectfully request that Pulte Homes significantly reduce the number of residential units planned within District 303 boundaries and advocate for a substantial allocation of the Del Webb community within our district.
Finally, we have invited city representatives to our Business Services meeting on September 30 to provide an update on this proposed development.
Cell Phone Advisory Group
I’m pleased to share that 130 applications were received for the Superintendent’s Community Advisory Group examining cell phones in schools. As expected, most of those applicants were parents. I’m also impressed with how many of our students were interested in joining.
Due to the level of interest, we more than doubled the number of group members originally planned for, selecting 71 people. We also wanted this group to represent a broad range of people and viewpoints, so our selection includes many parents and staff members and all of the students who applied. Additionally, the views of selected group members closely mirror those of all applicants. Of the 70 members selected, 28% said on their application they support using cell phones during class time, 46% do not support using cell phones in classrooms, and 25% are undecided.
For our applicants who were not selected, they along with all community members will have the opportunity to participate in a survey later this year.
The Advisory Group's first meeting will be on September 25. I want to thank all who expressed an interest in serving, and my team and I look forward to collaborating with you in the coming weeks on this important topic.
Building Pathways | August Highlights
The Board received a video summary of highlights and accomplishments from across District 303.
Videos showcasing the previous month's activity are shared at each regular monthly Board
meeting during the school year.
Videos are produced by the Communications Department and the highlights are also shared in
various ways across the District's platforms, including social media and electronic newsletters.
The video shared on September 9 provided a snapshot of activities from August 2024.
Celebrating Women in Sports
Rita Payleitner and her daughter Rae Anne presented on Legacy Night, taking place on January 31, 2025 to celebrate 50 years of girls' sports in St. Charles.
The two are leading a committee encouraging participation in the event, which commemorates the Illinois High School Association's pioneer class of 1974.
Transportation Update
Reports to the Board
The following summaries were provided by Board committee chairs on meetings that took place in August. Additional information reports may be provided, as requested by the Board.
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Business Services
In August the Business Services Committee received a presentation on the proposed residential development that the City of St. Charles is considering. They also heard about the city's proposed TIF extension. District Administration shared a construction update with the committee, as well offered recommendations on the vacant land it owns, phase II air conditioning installation, and renewals on communications and technology software.
The next Business Services Committee meeting will take place on Monday, September 30 at 5:30 p.m.
Learning and Teaching
In August the Learning and Teaching Committee received informational reports on the committee's calendar, an update on curriculum, and discussed adjusting the format of when and how the annual Student Achievement Report is presented.
The next Business Services Committee meeting will take place on Monday, September 16 at 5:30 p.m.
For Discussion
Agenda items for discussion and possible recommendations. There is no action taken.
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Charles Farm Proposed Development - Tax Levy Implications
Background
Administration provided a high-level overview of property tax projections related to the proposed Charles Farm residential development under consideration by the City of St. Charles. Actual projections and estimates will be presented at the September 30 Business Services meeting. The city has also agreed to have a representative join that meeting to share additional details. D303 is not a voting body for the proposed Charles Farm development.
Tax Levy Process & Implications
Kane County calculates the tax rate and issues the final tax extension on individual property tax bills. The rate is determined based on tax levies that have been approved by local taxing bodies, including District 303. There is not a one-to-one correlation between a requested tax levy increase by a taxing body and an increase to property tax bills distributed by the county.
For taxing bodies like District 303, evaluating and estimating enough new property each year during the levy process is important since we are only able to capture the full value of new property during its first assessment year. We increase the levy to make sure we account for the new property within the district, and then that new property becomes part of the base equalized assessed value (EAV) in subsequent years.
The addition of new property allows the school district to increase annual revenue without directly increasing the property tax burden on existing taxpayers. That's because the size of the taxing base increases from the new construction but the same tax rate is applied to a larger tax base.
Recommendation: This item is for informational purposes only. Actual projections and estimates will be presented at the September 30 Business Services meeting. The city has also agreed to have a representative join that meeting to share additional details. D303 is not a voting body for the proposed Charles Farm development. Charles Farms is under consideration by the City of St. Charles.
Committee Reports
Background
A Board member recently suggested revisiting the agenda item regarding Board Committee reports. Administration polled several districts as to whether they summarize the committee meetings' details during their Board meetings. Some did not provide summaries, others provided only high-level committee summaries at regular board meetings because the committee co-chairs are the only Board attendees at these meetings.
Recommendation: Because all Board members attend the majority of all committee meetings, Administration recommends eliminating Committee Meeting reports at Board meetings. In addition, the community and board members can access the committee meetings through livestream, recordings, meeting minutes and the Across the Board newsletters.
Board Discussion
The Board reached consensus that they will condense committee reports by providing more high-level summaries at regular Board meetings.
Consent Agenda
Grouped agenda items up for approval in one action.
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Motion Passed 6-1 (1 absent)
The consent agenda included items such as:
- Minutes from Previous Committee Meetings
- Personnel Reports
- List of Bills, Treasurer's Report, and Payroll
- Financial Reports
- Disposal of Surplus Equipment
- Districtwide Air Conditioning Purchase - Phase II
- Bell Graham Building Automation Controls
- Norris Recreation Center Tennis Court Lighting
- Thought Exchange Renewal
- District Software Renewals
- Funds Transfer from O&M to Capital Projects Fund - FY24
- Interfund Loan from Working Cash Fund to O&M Fund - FY24
- Funds Transfer from O&M to Capital Projects Fund - FY25
- Partial Funds Abatement from Working Cash Fund - FY 2025
For Information
Informational reports are typically provided monthly to the Board. There is no action taken.
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Topics for information included:
FOIA Requests
District Enrollment
24-25 Administrator - Teacher Salary and Benefit Report
New Business
Board Members May Introduce New Business Items for Future Agendas
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- Dual Language program planning
- Transportation route logistics
- Long-term service contracts