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Oswego School District 308 officials address questions regarding $317 million referendum · Kendall County News - Shaw Local

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  Oswego School District 308 officials address questions regarding 317
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  million referendum Written by Eric Shelkoff. This article
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  is being read by an automated voice, brought to you by Everlett.
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  Oswego School district’s 308 officials have been meeting with parents, community members,
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  and local organizations regarding The 317 million bond referendum on the
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  November 3rd ballot. These conversations at homeowner association meetings, community gatherings,
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  and one-on-one conversations have given us the
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  chance to walk through the data, answer questions, and hear directly what's
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  on people's minds. District 308 School Superintendent Andalib Kelgati said
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  in a recent parent update on the districts
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  website. The issues below are some of
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  the biggest questions raised regarding the referendum, Kelgati said. The response from
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  the schools.
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  District follows each question. How do we know the money won't go
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  to salaries? Bond referendum funds are legally restricted to capital projects, things
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  like building infrastructure, safety upgrades, and facility improvements. They cannot be used
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  for salaries or day-to-day operating costs. Why didn't the district
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  just set money aside every year to pay for this? Annual operating
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  funds are designated for daily needs like staffing, utilities, and supplies, not
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  multi-million dollar facility replacements. School
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  District 308 is funded at roughly 70 of state adequacy, and the
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  state proits special education and transportation reimbursements, which pulls resources from other
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  parts of the budget. This is a
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  challenge shared by neighboring districts that also grew rapidly, and are now
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  facing the same aging infrastructure realities and seeking referendum funds. What is
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  included in the safety and security portion of the plan? They
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  plan includes upgraded camera systems, sound systems, intruder detection, fire detection systems,
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  And secure entry vestibules, all designed to strengthen safety across our schools.
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  Kelgati well talk about the referendum and other issues during The
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  next coffee talk with the superintendent, which will take place from 8
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  30 to 9 30 AM September 16th at The
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  Oswego Family Restaurant, 69 Main Street in downtown Oswego. In addition, District
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  308 will hold a referendum
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  information session from 5.30 p.m. To 7 p.m. On September 21st at
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  The
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  Oswego Public Library at 32 West Jefferson Street in downtown Oswego. During
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  the session, district leaders will provide an overview of the referendum. Those
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  who attend also have the opportunity to ask questions about the referendum.
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  The bond funding is needed, the district said, to address infrastructure safety
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  and security and educational improvements. Impact on homeowners At the August 10
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  Oswego School Board meeting, the majority of board members voted to put
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  the referendum on the November 3 General Election ballot. Because the district
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  is is retiring existing long term debt at the same time, homeowners
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  would see a decrease in the debt service portion of their property
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  taxes, even if the referendum is approved, officials said. For a home
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  with a fair market value of 300,000, residents would pay about 100
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  less per year starting in 2028 and an additional 56 less beginning
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  in 2036 the district said. The district had a facility assessment done
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  of its twenty two schools. School district officials said almost 70 of
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  the schools were built between 2001 and 2008 and now are reaching
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  the age where major systems need replacement. They went through every single
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  building with building engineers. District 308 Chief Communications Officer Teresa Komatas
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  had said. It's a full facility assessment. And it's all loaded into
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  a computer program now, which allows for our operations team to be
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  able to look at any single facility and see what the current
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  conditions are, as well as kind of predict what's at, past or
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  near the end of life, and what's likely to be the next
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  big issues for us. Why schools need upgrades. The district quickly expanded
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  from just 6 schools to 22 schools to meet the rapid growth
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  in Oswego in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Seventeen new schools
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  were built in just 12 years. The district's enrollment surged from about
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  4,000 students in 1992 to more than 17,000 students in 2013. They
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  were all built in that small window of time, Komitas said. Officials
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  said the proposed referendum dedicates 79 of funds to critical infrastructure upgrades,
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  including improvements to HVAC systems and roof replacement. Flooring, plumbing, electrical and
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  building exterior improvements also are being proposed. The school district serves portions
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  of Kendall, Will, and Kane counties. The referendum would fund facility improvements
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  at all of the district's schools. More information about the referendum is
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  available at st308.org slash update 308.