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Overcrowding ‘unsustainable’ Yorkville superintendent tells City Council ahead of March referendum · Kendall County News - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Overcrowding unsustainable, Yorkville superintendent tell city council ahead of March referendum.
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  Speaker 1: Written by Joey Weslow, This article is being read by
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  Speaker 1: an automated voice brought to you by Everlett. The Yorkville
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  Speaker 1: School District one to fifteen superintendent made his pitch for
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  Speaker 1: the district's upcoming building referendum to the Yorkville City Council.
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  Speaker 1: Superintendent Matt Zedeker said the proposed two hundred and seventy
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  Speaker 1: five million dollar plan for new schools and expanded building
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  Speaker 1: space is needed because the district's current facility situation is
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  Speaker 1: unsustainable with the growing enrollment. The district's enrollment has nearly
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  Speaker 1: tripled over the past two decades, he said, every building
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  Speaker 1: is overcrowded, with even more growth projected. Zedeker said during
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  Speaker 1: the January twenty seventh City Council meeting, we are projecting
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  Speaker 1: over eight hundred more students in the next five years.
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  Speaker 1: We have packed classrooms. We have too many transitions for
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  Speaker 1: our students from building to building. If approved by voters
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  Speaker 1: on March seventeenth, the two hundred and seventy five million
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  Speaker 1: dollars in bonds will be combined with twenty million dollars
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  Speaker 1: in the district's reserves to construct a new middle school
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  Speaker 1: and a new elementary school. A new academic wing is
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  Speaker 1: planned for the high school, enabling all the students at
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  Speaker 1: the Freshman Academy to be moved into the one main
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  Speaker 1: high school building. The plan also converts a current elementary
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  Speaker 1: school into an early childhood center. I see within the
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  Speaker 1: referendum is a new performing art center and an athletic
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  Speaker 1: fieldhouse located outside the high school for a combined price
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  Speaker 1: of sixty million dollars. Alderman Chris Funkhauser expressed skepticism that
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  Speaker 1: the public will approve the referendum containing the arts center
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  Speaker 1: and fieldhouse, calling their inclusion a one hundred percent wish
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  Speaker 1: list by the district. Falkauser Aseseticer, what are the district's
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  Speaker 1: plans should the referendum fail to be approved. Zedeker suggested
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  Speaker 1: the district could drop a lesser proposal to place on
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  Speaker 1: the November general election ballot. We would work to find
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  Speaker 1: out why the referendum failed, and we have the ability
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  Speaker 1: in November to write size given the community feedback, Zedeker said.
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  Speaker 1: The inclusion of the art center in the fieldhouse was
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  Speaker 1: decided after consulting with the public, Zedeker said. The district
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  Speaker 1: held a series of town hall meetings before the referendum
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  Speaker 1: was crafted to help guide administration in designing the plan.
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  Speaker 1: The district is currently holding more town halls to help
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  Speaker 1: inform the public about all the referendum entails. We simply
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  Speaker 1: do not have the resources to invest in our infrastructure
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  Speaker 1: to make the necessary upgrades to overcome our overcrowding challenges.
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  Speaker 1: Zedeker said, it is beginning to hamper the ability for
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  Speaker 1: us to provide the education opportunities and experiences that our
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  Speaker 1: kids and families deserve. The district has a top notch
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  Speaker 1: music program, but has no auditorium and has banned classes
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  Speaker 1: literally taught in the hallway, he said. The school's health
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  Speaker 1: offices are too small, Zedeker said, and the special education
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  Speaker 1: classrooms are being held in half classrooms with no proper
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  Speaker 1: access to bathrooms. Some families have been turned away from
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  Speaker 1: the early childhood program because there is no more space,
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  Speaker 1: he added. Zedeker said transitioning students into the main high
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  Speaker 1: school building will help reduce the big safety concern of
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  Speaker 1: students crossing Game Farm Road multiple times per day as
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  Speaker 1: they currently go from building to building. If the referendum
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  Speaker 1: is approved, Zedeker said the goal is to have shovels
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  Speaker 1: in the ground by fall, with newly constructed buildings open
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  Speaker 1: by fall twenty twenty eight. Based on the district's demographer projections,
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  Speaker 1: the new buildings will provide space for the next twelve
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  Speaker 1: to fifteen years before more classrooms will be needed again.
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  Speaker 1: In addition to the new elementary and middle school and
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  Speaker 1: expanded high school, the current Circle Center Elementary School will
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  Speaker 1: transition into a full time early childhood center. All elementary
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  Speaker 1: buildings will become K five schools, and both middle school
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  Speaker 1: will become six eight grade schools. Zedeker said this will
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  Speaker 1: help ensure students stay in their local schools. The Freshman
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  Speaker 1: Academy would be repurposed, likely to enable the expansion of
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  Speaker 1: career and technical education opportunities. Yorkville Grade School would be
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  Speaker 1: demolished for additional green space and parking. Bristol Grade School
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  Speaker 1: would be taken offline and potentially sold by the district.
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  Speaker 1: Zedeker said, in addition to the new facilities providing greater
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  Speaker 1: academic experiences for the students, it will help the district
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  Speaker 1: better recruit high quality staff for residents without students in
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  Speaker 1: the district. He said the increased property values for everybody
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  Speaker 1: in the community is always a nice bonus.