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Yorkville Dist. 115 surveying residents on $275M referendum rejection, mapping November proposal · Kendall County News - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Yorkville dist one hundred and fifteen surveying residents on two
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  Speaker 1: hundred and seventy five million dollars referendum rejection mapping November proposal.
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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 November
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  Speaker 1: ballot is providing the Yorkville School District one fifteen an
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  Speaker 1: opportunity to write size its referendum for new and expanded buildings,
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  Speaker 1: including two new schools, to help solve an overcrowding crisis,
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  Speaker 1: before the district designs a new, less expensive ballot proposal
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  Speaker 1: this August. It is reaching out to residents to gain
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  Speaker 1: feedback on the failed two hundred and seventy five million
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  Speaker 1: dollars bond proposal that sixty seven to five to three
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  Speaker 1: percent of voters rejected on March seventeenth. The district is
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  Speaker 1: conducting a survey to help better align the future of
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  Speaker 1: the rapidly growing district with the property tax increases the
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  Speaker 1: public is willing to shoulder. While the future of the
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  Speaker 1: district's construction is not certain, Superintendent Matt Zadiker previously said,
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  Speaker 1: what is certain is the district's packed classrooms are unsustainable
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  Speaker 1: going forward. Zedeker previously said extra curriculars and special education
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  Speaker 1: are currently taking place in areas ill suited for proper education.
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  Speaker 1: Band classes are literally taught in the hallway because each
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  Speaker 1: building is out of space. On the survey, the district
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  Speaker 1: says the facility upgrade process has always been and remains
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  Speaker 1: driven by you. We are asking you to share your
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  Speaker 1: perspective so we can refine our plan to address our
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  Speaker 1: critical facility and educational needs. The district said, your honest
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  Speaker 1: feedback is the most valuable tool we have to ensure
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  Speaker 1: our next steps truly reflect the community's priorities. The district
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  Speaker 1: said the survey responses will remain anonymous and will directly
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  Speaker 1: guide the district's future strategy. Questions being asked if you
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  Speaker 1: voted on the Y one to fifteen referendum, why did
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  Speaker 1: you vote the way you did? If you did not vote,
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  Speaker 1: why how much did the total cost and related tax
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  Speaker 1: increase influence how you voted on the HY one fifteen referendum?
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  Speaker 1: And why how much did knowing there was another potential
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  Speaker 1: plan influence the way you voted on the Y one
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  Speaker 1: fifteen referendum? And why how much did the potential approval
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  Speaker 1: of data centers and the funding this could provide to
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  Speaker 1: the district. Influence the way you voted on the Y
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  Speaker 1: one fifteen referendum and why would you support a plan
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  Speaker 1: that maintains current tax levels to address overcrowding even if
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  Speaker 1: the district does not complete all planned facility improvements. How
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  Speaker 1: did we get here? Across the district, enrollment has tripled
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  Speaker 1: in the past twenty years, with another eight hundred students
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  Speaker 1: expected to be added in upcoming years, according to the
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  Speaker 1: district's demographer. To help solve this enrollment crisis, the original
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  Speaker 1: referendum proposed a new middle school and a new elementary school.
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  Speaker 1: A new academic wing was listed for the high school,
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  Speaker 1: enable all the students at the Freshman Academy to be
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  Speaker 1: moved into the one main high school building. The plan
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  Speaker 1: also converted a current elementary school into an early childhood center.
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  Speaker 1: Likely part of voters rejection of the proposal was allocating
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  Speaker 1: sixty million dollars for a performing art center and an
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  Speaker 1: athletic field house. The new proposal for the November ballot
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  Speaker 1: is likely to leave out the performing art center and
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  Speaker 1: the athletic field house. Another possible factor was the announcement
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  Speaker 1: by the city Council that the district could be the
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  Speaker 1: recipient of sixty eight million, two hundred and fifty thousand
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  Speaker 1: dollars from the city in funds collected from upfront payments
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  Speaker 1: from the developers of the Project Cardinal Data Center and
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  Speaker 1: the Project Steel Data Center. That money is still subject
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  Speaker 1: to full final approval on both projects. Zedeker said, while
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  Speaker 1: the funds used for new facilities could drastically reduce the
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  Speaker 1: tax burden on homeowners and property owners, the assumption that
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  Speaker 1: the data center money would be able to take care
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  Speaker 1: of all our needs was one that was pretty prevalent
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  Speaker 1: in the community. During a city council meeting, Zedeker said,
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  Speaker 1: the distract does not have the resources available on hand
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  Speaker 1: to make the necessary building upgrades to overcome the overcrowding issues.
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  Speaker 1: It is beginning to hamper the ability for us to
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  Speaker 1: provide the education opportunities and experiences that our kids and
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  Speaker 1: families deserve. Zedeker said, if the next proposal on the
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  Speaker 1: November ballot is approved, students will be using the new
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  Speaker 1: facilities by the fall of twenty twenty nine, at the earliest.