Kaneland School District 302 is looking to gather feedback in a community survey to determine why voters last year opposed a $57.5 million bond issue to pay for improvements at Kaneland High School.
The survey is available through Friday at www.kaneland.org.
“We would greatly appreciate your input to help us better understand the reasons behind the result. Your opinions and insights will be valuable in shaping future decisions related to this issue,” according to a message inviting the Kaneland community to participate in the online survey.
Voters opposed the bond issue on the April 4, 2023, ballot by roughly a 58% to 42% margin. If the bond issue had been approved, the district’s portion of property taxes would have increased approximately $244 annually on a home with a market value of $280,000, officials said.
The survey asks whether residents voted on the referendum question, whether they have school-aged children and what age group they are in.
The survey also asks voters to rank “what were the most critical projects” for the high school by placing them in a range of highest priority to lowest priority. The projects include modernized learning environments; student resources and supports; infrastructure and mechanical systems; improved athletic facilities; campus reorganization; a new high school entrance and other projects specified in a comments and suggestions section.
Participants are also asked to select what was most important to them when voting on the proposed bond issue, namely the scope of the projects, the cost of the tax impact or another concern they can specify in the additional comments part of the survey.
Kaneland High School was built in 1958.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.