The Yorkville School District 115 superintendent made his pitch for the district’s upcoming building referendum to the Yorkville City Council

Superintendent Matt Zediker said the proposed $275 million plan for new schools and expanded building space is needed because the district’s current facilities situation is “unsustainable” with the growing enrollment.

The district’s enrollment has nearly tripled over the past two decades, he said.

“Every building is overcrowded with even more growth projected,” Zediker said during the Jan. 27 City Council meeting. “We are projecting over 800 more students in the next five years. We have packed classrooms. We have too many transitions for our students (from building to building).”

If approved by voters on March 17, the $275 million in bonds will be combined with $20 million in the district’s reserves to construct a new middle school and a new elementary school.

A new academic wing is planned for the high school, enabling all the students at the Freshman Academy to be moved into the one main high school building. The plan also converts a current elementary school into an early childhood center.

Within the referendum is a new performing arts center and an athletic field house located outside the high school for a combined price of $60 million.

Alderman Chris Funkhouser expressed skepticism that the public will approve the referendum containing the arts center and field house, calling their inclusion a “100% wish list” by the district.

Funkhouser asked Zediker what are the district’s plans should the referendum fail to be approved.

Zediker suggested the district could draw up a lesser proposal to place on the November general election ballot.

“We would work to find out why the referendum failed, (and we) have the ability in November to right-size given the community feedback,” Zediker said.

The inclusion of the arts center and the field house was decided after consulting with the public, Zediker said

The district held a series of town hall meetings before the referendum was crafted to help guide administration in designing the plan.

The district is currently holding more town halls to help inform the public about all the referendum entails.

“We simply do not have the resources to invest in our infrastructure to make the necessary upgrades to overcome our overcrowding challenges,” Zediker said. “It is beginning to hamper the ability for us to provide the education opportunities and experiences that our kids and families deserve.”

The district has a “top-notch” music program, but has no auditorium and has band classes “literally taught in the hallway,” he said.

The schools’ health offices are too small, Zediker said, and the special education classrooms are being held in half-classrooms, with no proper access to bathrooms.

Some families have been turned away from the early childhood program because there is no more space, he added

Zediker said transitioning students into the main high school building will help reduce the “big safety” concern of students crossing Game Farm Road multiple times per day as they currently go from building to building.

District timeline

If the referendum is approved, Zediker said the goal is to have shovels in the ground by fall, with newly constructed buildings open by fall 2028.

Based on the district’s demographer projections, the new buildings will provide space for the next 12 to 15 years before more classrooms will be needed again.

In addition to the new elementary and middle school, and expanded high school, the current Circle Center Elementary School will transition into a full-time early childhood center.

All elementary buildings will become K-5 schools and both middle school will become 6-8 grade schools. Zediker said this will help ensure “students stay in their local schools.”

The Freshman Academy would be repurposed likely to enable the expansion of career and technical education opportunities.

Yorkville Grade School would be demolished for additional green space and parking. Bristol Grade School would be taken off-line and potentially sold by the district.

Zediker said in addition to the new facilities providing greater academic experiences for the students, it will help the district better recruit high quality staff.

For residents without students in the district, he said the increase property values for everybody in the community is always a nice bonus.