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Yorkville School District 115 superintendent highlights overcrowding solutions at State of the District · Kendall County News - Shaw Local

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  Yorkville School District 115 Superintendent highlights overcrowding solutions at state
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  of the district. This article is being
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  read by an automated voice brought to you by Everlett. With a
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  159 million referendum on the November 3 ballot, Yorkville School District 115
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  Superintendent Matt Zedziker addressed efforts to stay ahead of the enrollment growth
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  and need for building improvements and expansion in his recent state of
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  the district presentation. The event was held at Whitetail Ridge Golf Course
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  on September 14th in Yorkville and hosted by the Yorkville Education Foundation.
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  Local business and community leaders were joined by district staff and city
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  officials. After the previous 275 million referendum for new schools,
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  buildings, and expansions at the high school was rejected by voters in
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  March, Zeddecker said a public survey helped shape this new referendum. Zedeker
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  said the feedback was used to create a new plan to allow
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  us to address some of that overcrowding, keep the tax rate flat,
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  and be something the community can be proud of and use fifteen
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  to twenty year down the road. We're providing a high quality education,
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  but still being fiscally responsible and having the savings account in case
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  something happens. We'll be protected, he said. We operate within our means.
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  We don't spend more than we have. We budget appropriately. Zedeker said
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  year over year the district's revenue is more than expenditures. He said
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  it's helped the
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  district’s earmark twenty million dollars from the district's fund for the facility
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  master plan. This would be in addition to the one hundred fifty
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  nine million dollars within the referendum. The referendum includes plans for a
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  new elementary school and a new middle school. It does not contain
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  any expansions at the high school like the previous referendum. Zedeker said
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  the district's demographer projects about 500 to 600 more students in kindergarten
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  through eighth grade over the next five years. He said this is
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  why the district deprioritized expansions at The
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  high school He said the community will have to be re-engaged on
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  how to expand the high school, as it can hold for the
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  near future with the current space, but it will not last seven
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  to ten years. Those kids are eventually going to get to high
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  school, and we want to be ahead of those kids, not working
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  behind, Zeddecker said. The new school buildings will enable the standardization of
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  transitions students make from one building to another, and it will enable
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  Circle Center Grade school to become an early childhood center, He
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  said Regarding the possible influx of revenue from the data center developments
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  in Yorkville, Zedeker said, All the planning we have done is minus
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  the data center money, because the district.
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  Has no idea if they're coming. If the money does come, Zeddecker
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  said it will matter if it's in time to help fund construction
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  at they high school or instead be used as debt relief. He
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  said the district would be transparent with our community on how the
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  money will be used. Work of the foundation. The Yorkville Education Foundation
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  is a nonprofit fundraising partner of the school district. Foundation President Leslie
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  Smoger said the organization raises money to bridge the gap because the
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  state does not provide all the funding the district requires. She said
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  the partner with the Student Services Department, which helps identify students in
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  need. Every single dollar the foundation raises goes back to our students,
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  mostly through teacher grants, Smoger said. Also, our yes cards serve the
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  essential needs of our students who don't have it at home. Sometimes
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  it can be a warm coat, sometimes it could be a ride
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  to the doctor, it's often groceries. She said the organization also supports
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  families when tragedies strike. Smoger said the summer scholarship program continues to
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  see growth. Zedeker said, Yorkville is very fortunate to have the foundation
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  and that it provides strong support for the district.