Yorkville 115 asks city to bump up transition fees

To keep up with the rising costs of providing for students, the Yorkville School District 115 is asking the city to make new residential developers foot a larger part of the bill.

After completing a study into future enrollment costs, the district is requesting the city approves raising new development transition fees from $5,000 to $7,000 per residential unit.

The study was conducted because public investment into the district’s facilities has lagged behind the community’s exponential population growth. The city’s freeze on transition fees from 2003 to March 2005, was designed to help entice developers and fees were frozen at $3,000.

Transition fees are impact fees designed to offset the costs of student enrollment growth spurred by new residential developments. They help cover lags between new students using district resources before their household pays their first property bills.

The Yorkville City Council is discussing the district’s proposal at their June 10 meeting.

The district is also requesting the city raise the multi-family housing transition fees, which include new duplexes, condos and apartments, to $5,000 per unit. Age-restricted senior housing is to remain without a transition fee because they bring no new students into the district.

Over the past decade, the operating annual cost per student has increased 38%, to $13,706, according to the school district.

With enrollment increasing by at least 10.5% in each of the past four years, the district has struggled to keep up.

Along with rising costs per student, technology upgrades and staffing costs are putting a dent in the district’s wallet. However, the largest burden on the district’s coffers is the necessary facility expansions to provide larger spaces for their overflowing student population.

While the district conducted their demographic and cost projections study, city council approved raising the transition fee to $5,000. With every newly proposed large residential development, the school district sent a representative to voice concerns about new growth making the classroom capacity crisis even worse.

The district’s request of $7,000 fees is less than the expected request of between $8,000 and $10,000 per residential unit that was discussed at prior city council meetings.

The difference may appear small, but the sum really totals up fast for the district. In 2022, the district collected transition fees from 340 new residential units, totaling $861,000, according to the district.

The funding helps decrease the deficit, but serious financial investments are necessary to abate the capacity crisis.

The district recently paid $3 million for temporary “pole barn classrooms” outside of three elementary schools, to provide students 12 extra classrooms.

The district also recently purchased more than 100-acres for $2 million to provide extra space to potentially build additional classrooms, an athletic field house, or a performing arts center.