Forrestville Valley School District residents had a chance April 15 to speak on a proposed $10 million bond issue to fund an addition to the current junior and senior high schools that would add a new practice gym, expanded weight room, and fitness space.

Board president Chip Braker told the crowd of approximately 70 people that school officials began the process in July 2024 following a strategic planning session with an outside facilitator who assisted board members in developing future goals and objectives.

“We said, OK, we’ve addressed a lot of academic and program needs over the past 10 years,” Braker said. “What would be our next immediate concern? And it was the board’s determination that we needed more gym space and a bigger weight room.”

The project consists of an approximately 16,600-square-foot addition to the east side of Forreston Junior-Senior High School, adjacent to the current boys’ locker rooms and weight room.

Braker said finding adequate practice space and scheduling practice times has been very difficult with current facilities.

“We’re having teams that are practicing in double shifts,” he said. “We’ve added sixth grade sports, so the demand on our gym space is really high.”

He said the school’s current weight room is too small.

“Our weight room is an unsafe facility. It is extremely crowded in there. When we built it in 1996, we thought it was a Cadillac facility, but learned very quickly that we just don’t have enough space,” Braker said. “These two buildings have been proposed to improve the extracurricular experience for our kids.”

Key features of the addition are a new auxiliary practice gym that will include basketball and volleyball courts and batting cages for baseball and softball; a 3,100-square-foot weight room that will be approximately 2.5 times larger than the existing weight room; allocated areas for additional physical education classes and cheer/dance teams; and a new vestibule to provide a clearly defined public entrance.

In a prepared statement, the school board said: “Over the last decade, the district has successfully completed approximately $10 million in facility upgrades – including classroom renovations, HVAC and roof replacements, new flooring, and lighting – funded through life safety and working cash bonds. Because the current maintenance and operational goals have been met, the board is in a unique position to consider a capital expansion.”

Braker said the addition will alleviate current congestion and improve scheduling for both the academic year and summer programs.

Other board members said academics, art and music programs are not being slighted with this proposal and it was time for the school district to show it is ready to grow and stay competitive with other school districts in the region.

Board member Shaun Gallagher praised school board members and staff for the financial management during the past 14 years that allowed such an addition to be proposed.

“What an amazing job my colleagues and those before them have done over the last 14 years to pull ourselves out of the ashes and turn this thing around,” Gallagher said, adding schools should be the “focal point” of the community and not an embarrassment.

“We want to make sure that every kid in the school district wants to come here. That teachers want to come here,” Gallagher said. “So as we looked at future projects to do, and that bucket list has gotten smaller and smaller, the next step was OK, what can we do that is bigger and better than anything Forreston has done before. And one of those was the opportunity to extend an investment into sports.”

Gallagher said the project does come with some risks, but the ability to offer students more opportunities and meet their needs outweighs that risk.

“I cannot tell you tomorrow that everything is going to be better,” he said. “But we do have an opportunity with the existing conditions to make this [addition]. I don’t think we should choose to wait three, four or five years.”

Tax rates will not increase if the 20-year bond issue is awarded for the project, the board said in its statement. Because this project falls within the district’s allowable bond capacity, it can be approved by the school board without being approved by voters via a referendum.

The board hopes to issue the bonds for the project in May, bid the project in June, and break ground in September with an estimated completion date of August 2027.

And that timeline was one of the reasons Jane Koeller told the board she agreed to be part of a petition drive to put the issue on the November ballot.

“I just want to be clear – I didn’t start this petition because I oppose the building project,“ Koeller said. ”I started it due to concerns with how the project has been managed and the lack of transparency."

Koeller said she was not aware of the project until March.

“On March 31, the day after I requested the petition, Superintendent Smith called me to share details about the high school addition. I explained that I knew nothing about the project, and we discussed the challenges of informing people, who don’t have students in school, about these kinds of decisions. Later that day she called again and asked me to help brainstorm ways to notify the public in future projects,” Koeller said.

“It turns out a brainstorming session wasn’t necessary; starting a petition was all it took. In the past 7-10 days, more information has been provided than in the previous 18-24 months of this project,” Koeller said.

“If timing is of the essence, and this project is supposed so fantastic, and since it won’t raise taxes at all – why wasn’t it included on the March ballot for a public vote, instead of using a legal, but questionable backdoor referendum?”

She said the school district should have provided school district residents more information about the project through social media or other means.

“Perhaps, if information had been released explaining the project, explaining the financial side, and explaining the benefits long before last week, there may not be so much negativity,” Koeller said. “When there is a project of this magnitude – you cannot be transparent enough. I am concerned with this being done as a back-door referendum and the lack of transparency.”

Another resident said she was concerned how the addition would decrease parking.

But the majority of people who spoke at the meeting – students, teachers and a few other district residents – said the addition was needed from both a safety and growth perspective.

German Valley resident and Forreston alum Andrew Garnhart said he strongly supports the project. He said he benefited from a capitol project 30 years ago and as a volunteer coach for the district has experienced scheduling issues and shortage of practice space with gyms firsthand.

“The athletic landscape has changed drastically in the last 10-20 years,” he said, commenting on the need for a larger weight room. “Our current space is outdated. It is overcrowded, it is inefficient.”

Garnhart, whose two of five children also spoke in favor of the addition, said he does not enjoy paying taxes, but believes tax dollars would be well spent to improve school facilities.

“When a school declines a community declines. This proposal is not about covering operating costs – which is the exciting part for me because it is a strategic investment in our longterm infrastructure. And when you combine our solid academics, scholarship programs, and this facility, we will make Forreston the most desirable place to live in northwest Illinois," Garnhart said.

On Monday, Koeller said the petition drive had fallen “just short” of the 338 signatures of registered voters to require a referendum.

“Had we known about this earlier we would have had required amount of signatures. You can be happy about this project, but we need to hold the school board accountable in the future,” said Koeller.

Forrestville Valley Board statement excerpts

While the school board does not control property assessed values, they do set the tax rate. Over the last decade, the board has lowered the tax rate by 20% overall. The 2025 tax rate of 4.6500 will be the lowest in 25 years. This facility expansion will not change this current tax structure.

How does this project not increase taxes?

The $10 million budget for this project is the same amount the district has spent on smaller projects over the last decade. By utilizing the same annual bond payment structure used for previous upgrades, the amount levied for local taxes will remain the same. This allows the board to provide new opportunities for students without increasing the current tax rate.

What is the funding structure?

The State of Illinois sets a bond limit for every school district. Currently, the district has only utilized 27% of its capacity, leaving a large unused margin. This allows the project to be completed through board-approved funding bonds.

This project focuses on athletics; what about academics?

The Forrestville Valley School District continues to prioritize academic excellence. Our schools have been recognized with “Exemplary” status by the State Board of Education, placing them in the top 10% of Illinois schools. We offer small class sizes, rigorous programs, and diverse college and career pathways.

It is important to note that this project is funded by a bond sale, which is legally restricted to capital projects (buildings and infrastructure). Educational expenses – such as teacher salaries and instructional programs – are funded through the separate Educational Fund.

For additional information about the project, email the Board of Education at fvsdboard@fvdistrict221.org or Superintendent Sheri Smith a ssmith@fvdistrict221.org.