Area Legislators Visit District 300

Sen. Pam Althoff, R-McHenry, Sen. Michael Noland, D-Elgin, and Rep. Keith Farnham, D-Elgin, attended D300’s annual legislative update Monday.

Highlights from the meeting included plans for the district's latest wind consortium agreement with two other school districts, the recent “gold standard” school lunches and the teen peer jury. For more about the district's move toward wind farms to cut energy costs, visit here.

The district, however, asked legislators Monday to pay special attention to a select few “hot topics” expected to impact the district in the future:

The Capital Bill

Last month an Illinois appellate court ruled the Illinois Jobs Now! capital spending bill as unconstitutional, saying it violates the state’s “single subject rule.”

The $31 billion bill, passed in 2009, would use revenue from the legalization of video gambling machines and higher taxes on liquor and candy to fund infrastructure projects, such as the .

But the court said the multiple funding sources violate the “single subject rule,” meaning that bill appropriating funds must be limited to one subject.

Schools across the state were to receive $1.5 billion of that funding. If the Illinois Supreme Court upholds the lower court’s decision, D300 would have to continue to put off $26.3 million of school renovations and additions.

The district's Chief Financial Officer Cheryl Crates said right now there are four schools in the district that are “shovel ready”—including Neubert Elementary.

Sears Economic Development Area

Every year the Sears TIF, located within Hoffman Estates and part of D300 boundaries, is allocated several million dollars in property taxes— property taxes that would otherwise go to D300 and other public bodies.

If the legislators allow the Sears agreement to expire on schedule in 2015, D300 will take in an additional $13 million in property tax revenue. Currently D300 receives $2 million annually. School board officials encouraged the lawmakers not to extend the Sears agreement.

District officials said because of its recent budget woes, class sizes have gone up and teachers’ pay has been cut. Last year D300 had a $6.3 million budget deficit, and this year it is looking to trim an additional $8.3 million for the 2011-12 school year.

Crates also reminded the lawmakers that the state still owes D300 $9 million and that the district will be borrowing $19 million in tax anticipation warrants this spring, so it can make payroll.

In the Q&A session of the meeting, all of the legislators commended D300 on its progress and advancement it has made over the years.

“I don’t think we are the ones that should be followed,” Farnham said. “I think that you are the example.”