Kaneland school board approves bond resolution to fund capital projects at elementary, middle and high schools next summer

The Kaneland District 302 Board of Education approved a resolution during its board meeting Monday that declares its intention to issue $1.3 million in working cash fund bonds.

The bonds will increase the district’s working cash fund in order to pay for capital projects during the summer of 2023 (2023-24 fiscal year).

Major parking lot work at John Shields Elementary School and Harter Middle School in Sugar Grove, plumbing life safety work throughout the district and renovations and repairs to the track and tennis courts at Kaneland High School in Maple Park are some of the capital projects that already have been approved by the board.

A public hearing will be held Aug. 8 prior to the next school board meeting so the community can have an opportunity to share their thoughts about the transaction.

After that public hearing and board approval, Julie-Ann Fuchs, associate superintendent of Kaneland, and Bob Lewis, senior vice president of PMA Securities, will determine the best day for the sale and then sell the $1.3 million in working cash bonds.

“About a month later, we’ll pay them off with the money that’s in our bond and interest fund and then we’ll make a couple transfers with the board’s authority,” Fuchs said. “No transfers are made between funds without the board’s authority and eventually that money will get into our capital projects fund and that’s where we will use that money for next summer’s capital projects that the board approved at the last meeting.”

In other action, the board approved additional part-time positions for kindergarten at both McDole Elementary School in Montgomery and Blackberry Creek in Elburn.

Chris Adkins, director of human resources for the district, said an increase in enrollment that the district has been monitoring for the upcoming school year would have led to student-to-teacher ratios of about 25-to-1.

Instead, thanks to the addition of staff, McDole will have a 20.3-to-1 ration for its extended day students and a 15-to-1 ratio for its new half-day students. At Blackberry Creek, the numbers are 19-to-1 for extended day kids and 17-to-1 for its new half-day students.