This referendum is full of unknowns such as:

• unconfirmed future development/growth dependent upon 1,000 new houses to be built and occupied within the next 6-8 years
• increase in future operating expenses which equals another increase in taxes through the operational budget
• costs for proposed new programming & retaining additional qualified teachers when we have the highest teacher turnover in all of Kane County
• uncertainty around being able to hire & retain teachers in our current environment, let alone a growth environment
• elementary school attendance boundary changes that would see hundreds of our youngest K-5 students lose bus privileges and become walkers if Prairie Knolls Middle School becomes and elementary school

The enrollment forecast for years 6-10 shows nominal growth with 60% of it dependent on "possible" and "potential" new housing.  That's too much variability to even consider taking on an obligation of this magnitude. 

We pride ourselves on being a small district with a rural, hometown feel and strong roots.

• The current Central High School has been in service for 30 years, features an “Alumni Hall”, and has been home to two generations of residents in our town in some cases.
• We want to maintain the $22 million investment we just made in 2016 that was approved by the taxpayers with the understanding that it would keep CHS in operation as our high school through at last 2038.  
• RSP's data does NOT support the need for a new high school nor a new middle school.  The data shows we need ELEMENTARY space immediately and what should be simple updates to PKMS and CHS.

We can make a better plan to address potential growth at a much lower cost when it happens, not “if” it happens, leaving more money to put towards improving teacher retention and educational outcomes for all of our students FIRST.

A significant lack of trust exists between the community and the district, reinforced by a series of financially irresponsible decisions leading to the waste of close to $10 million that could have been put towards other higher priority needs for our teachers, bus drivers, and students.  Transparency & trust should have been the foundation of this process.  Instead they have been absent.  Now our district has budgeted another $2 million for "District Capital Projects" to be spent without any details as to how it will be spent.

• 5,700 taxpayer homes excluded from the 2022 Focus Groups with 157 people deciding we ALL should take on a $195 million debt.
• Independent enrollment forecast does NOT support the need for a new high school or middle school with only only 277 new students expected in the next 1-5 years (a total of 742 new students expected across ALL grades over the next 10 years and that's IF 1,000+ new homes are built and occupied in the next 6-8 years).
• Independent facilities analyses performed shows we may not be maximizing all of our space and exploring all options to manage our current levels of enrollment more appropriately.
• 83 acres of debt-free land on Rohrsen Road sold back to the original seller at a $3 million loss in 2024.
• 300+ Acres of land on Route 47 that was not listed for sale was suddenly purchased for $5 million within a 30-day window 
• A Steering Committee convened behind closed doors with only 2 board of education members to avoid triggering the Open Meetings Act requiring the meetings to be open to the public.  

This is just the short list of troubling things that have taken place during this referendum process. 

We all like to think of our district as one of "the best" in our area and many people pride themselves in saying our district is "highly sought after".  The fact is, our district and our schools face many challenges.  There is a direct relationship between district test scores and home values.  Performance, not facilities, translate to higher home values and demand to live in a school district.

• Our district has a 95% graduation rate, but 43% of our graduates are not proficient at reading and 58% of them are not proficient in math.(ISBE 2023 Proficiency for Central CUSD 301).  When you look at the numbers across specific demographics, it is clear some of our students are being left behind.
• We lack the pay and benefits package to be truly competitive in our county which would increase teacher retention and attract the best talent to our district.
• Our ongoing transportation challenges remain unchanged, leading to long travel times, packed buses, inconsistent bus routes and regular drivers, and late afterschool transportation for sports activities.
• Lack of appropriate support systems for our growing ESL (English as a Second Language) learners, which now comprises almost 10% of our student population.
• Refusal to add more Special Education teachers as requested by our teachers across ALL 7 schools.  In fact, not only was their request denied, our district REDUCED the hours of existing Special Education teachers for the 2024-2025 academic year.
• Our best performing school is our oldest and smallest with arguably the least favorable of all our elementary facilities.
• Significant challenges in our Special Education programming & support services.
• NO "gifted" programming and according to ISBE, we have no "gifted" learners in our district to report.

The catastrophic combination of this $225 million referendum and the increased operational expenses mean we will have even less money to invest in our teachers, our staff, our students, and our bus drivers in the coming years. A new 400,000 square foot building will solve none of these things.