Referendum Information

Yorkville Community Unit School District 115 is the heart of our community. We partner together to ensure bright futures for all our students and our entire community. We are all Yorkville Foxes.

As one of the fastest-growing districts in Illinois, we are able to provide our students the benefits of a larger district while maintaining our small-town feel. Our collaborative approach is working. Our graduation rate, at nearly 97%, is the best of all our peer districts and significantly higher than the state average. Nine of our schools are rated commendable, our students have won more accolades inside and outside the classroom than we could list, and many of our teachers and staff have been recognized as leaders in education.

We’ve accomplished this while being one of the most fiscally responsible districts in the state. Our spending is less than any peer district and considerably less than the state average. Our student-to-administrator ratio is 40% higher than the state average, proving we are investing the funding we have into kids and classrooms instead of administrative costs. We maintain our facilities to extend them well beyond their typical lifespan and perform as much work in-house as possible to save money. And we always operate with a balanced budget and maintain a responsible fund balance.

However, our explosive growth has put us in an unsustainable position. Our enrollment has nearly tripled in the past 20 years. Every building is overcrowded, with even more growth projected in the future. This has created packed classrooms, too many transitions for students as we try to fit kids wherever we can, and programming taking place in inadequate spaces.

Because we have historically been among the lowest funded districts in the entire state, historically funded at 67% adequacy, we do not have the ability to make the significant infrastructure investments needed to resolve our overcrowding challenges. And while our teachers and staff do the best they can, the reality is this overcrowding is beginning to hurt our ability to provide our students the quality education our community expects.

While we’ve invested a lot into student safety, more can be done to upgrade security infrastructure. High school students have to walk across the street multiple times a day. Our top-notch music program doesn’t have a high school auditorium, and band is frequently taught in a hallway. We don’t have space for student services, forcing kids to receive support in hallways and any unused corner we can find. Health offices are too small to properly separate healthy and sick kids. Special education is crammed into half classrooms without accessible bathrooms and the necessary therapy and sensory spaces. Families are turned away from our early childhood programs because we cannot accommodate more students. Some of our buildings, mechanicals, and furniture are aging to the point of needing significant renovation or replacement. We can’t provide all the extracurricular activities our students and their families are requesting, and our athletic teams don’t have the practice space they need.

Our community collaborated on a plan to solve these challenges. Together, we developed a community-driven plan that addresses the overcrowding our schools face while ensuring we are not put in this position again. This consensus $275 million plan will appear on our ballots in the upcoming March 17th election. Combined with $20 million in district reserves, the plan will allow the district to:

• Solve Our Overcrowding Issues Now and Into the Future
• Make Our School Buildings Safer and More Accessible
• Improve Learning Environments for All Students

The plan will sustainably address our overcrowding issues by adding a new elementary school, a new middle school, and a significant addition at the high school, while transitioning Circle Center Grade School to an early childhood center. These additional classrooms will accommodate current and future growth which will eliminate overcrowding, reduce student transitions, provide more space for student health and movement, and keep class sizes from growing. In addition, all grade schools will become K-5 schools and both middle schools will become 6-8 schools, ensuring students stay in their local schools and reducing and balancing transitions throughout the district.

The plan will allow our district to make significant improvements to safety and security, infrastructure, and mechanicals. By housing all high school students at the expanded main campus, safety concerns over students and teachers crossing the street between buildings will be alleviated. We will be able to create safer environments for students and teachers, including additional shelter spaces during inclement weather. We will also be able to complete significant infrastructure work at all schools through investments in mechanical systems, energy efficiency, plumbing, parking lots, and building infrastructure, including improving ADA accessibility in early childhood spaces, bathrooms, and playgrounds.

The plan will improve educational, support, and extracurricular spaces for all students and teachers. We will be able to increase and improve spaces for music and performing arts throughout the district, including a new performing arts center at the high school, to provide better opportunities for students in music, theater, and performing arts. We will be able to increase and improve dedicated spaces for teachers and staff, including improved teacher workspaces, to support stronger relationships between teachers and students and increase academic performance. We will be able to optimize and increase space for student services, specialized instruction, and health services, leading to healthier students with stronger social and emotional skills. We will be able to expand and improve programming spaces for early childhood, accelerated learning, special education, dual language, and collaborative learning. And we will be able to increase gymnasium space at elementary and middle schools and build a new fieldhouse at the high school, accommodating year-round use which increases students’ wellness and athletic opportunities.

This is our opportunity to restore pride in our facilities and give our students the quality educational environments they deserve. We will be able to further increase academic performance while continuing to be innovative in our extracurricular opportunities. We will be able to keep class sizes from growing, so teachers can build relationships with students and provide all kids the support they need to shine. And we will be able to reduce and balance transitions between schools. All of which will further increase property values for every family in our community.

Frequently Asked Questions

How was this plan developed?
Throughout much of the past two years, our community has collaborated on a plan for the future of our schools. Together, we created a master facilities plan that addresses the overcrowding our schools face.

More than 1,400 community members collaborated in 2025 alone on a plan to address these challenges. Using feedback collected from the community, the district developed this community-driven plan that will appear on the March 17 ballot to overcome our infrastructure and funding challenges while ensuring we are not put in this position again.

What is included in the plan?
If successful, the referendum will:

• Solve Our Overcrowding Issues Now and Into the Future
• Make Our School Buildings Safer and More Accessible
• Improve Learning Environments for All Students

The plan will sustainably address our overcrowding issues by adding a new elementary school, a new middle school, and a significant addition at the high school, while transitioning Circle Center Grade School to an early childhood center. These additional classrooms will accommodate current and future
growth which will eliminate overcrowding, reduce student transitions, provide more space for student health and movement, and keep class sizes from growing. In addition, all grade schools will become K-5 schools and both middle schools will become 6-8 schools, ensuring students stay in their local schools and reducing and balancing transitions throughout the district.

The plan will allow our district to make significant improvements to safety and security, infrastructure, and mechanicals. By housing all high school students at the expanded main campus, safety concerns over students and teachers crossing the street between buildings will be alleviated. We will be able to create safer environments for students and teachers, including additional shelter spaces during inclement weather. We will also be able to complete significant infrastructure work at all schools through investments in mechanical systems, energy efficiency, plumbing, parking lots, and building infrastructure, including improving ADA accessibility in early childhood spaces, bathrooms, and playgrounds.

The plan will improve educational, support, and extracurricular spaces for all students and teachers. We will be able to increase and improve spaces for music and performing arts throughout the district, including a new performing arts center at the high school, to provide better opportunities for students in music, theater, and performing arts. We will be able to increase and improve dedicated spaces for teachers and staff, including improved teacher workspaces, to support stronger relationships between teachers and students and increase academic performance. We will be able to optimize and increase space for student services, specialized instruction, and health services, leading to healthier students with stronger social and emotional skills. We will be able to expand and improve programming spaces for early childhood, accelerated learning, special education, dual language, and collaborative learning. And we will be able to increase gymnasium space at elementary and middle schools and build a new fieldhouse at the high school, accommodating year-round use which increases students’ wellness and athletic opportunities.

~ New Question Added 3.5.26
What is the timeline for construction and completion?
Construction is expected to begin in fall 2026. New schools are expected to open in fall 2028; high school renovations are expected to be complete by 2030.

Because we have historically been among the lowest funded districts in the entire state, historically funded at 67% adequacy, we do not have the ability to make the significant infrastructure investments needed to resolve our overcrowding challenges. And while our teachers and staff do the best they can, the reality is this overcrowding is beginning to hurt our ability to provide our students the quality education our community expects.

While we’ve invested a lot into student safety, more can be done to upgrade security infrastructure. High school students have to walk across the street multiple times a day. Our top-notch music program doesn’t have a high school auditorium, and band is frequently taught in a hallway. We don’t have space for student services, forcing kids to receive support in hallways and any unused corner we can find. Health offices are too small to properly separate healthy and sick kids. Special education is crammed into half classrooms without accessible bathrooms and the necessary therapy and sensory spaces. Families are turned away from our early childhood programs because we cannot accommodate more students. Some of our buildings, mechanicals, and furniture are aging to the point of needing significant renovation or replacement. We can’t provide all the extracurricular activities our students and their families are requesting, and our athletic teams don’t have the practice space they need.

~ New Question Added 3.5.26
How did we get here?
Please click on the following link to review the timeline thus far:
http://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1756154860/y115org/xxmwccchslnpo0n6tqcg/FMP-HowwegothereOneSheet.pdf

~ New Question Added 3.5.26
Why doesn't the district fund the new school in phases?
The district cannot build new schools without the approval of the majority of the voters through a referendum, per State of Illinois law.

~ New Question Added 3.5.26
What happens if the referendum does not pass?
If the referendum fails, the district will survey the community to understand the reasons and recalibrate the plan. A revised option may be presented in the November general election.

How will the referendum impact my taxes?
As one of the most fiscally responsible districts in the state, our spending is less than any peer district and considerably less than the state average. Our student-to-administrator ratio is 40% higher than the state average, proving we are investing the funding we have into kids and classrooms instead of administrative costs. We maintain our facilities to extend them well beyond their typical lifespan and perform as much work in-house as possible to save money. And we always operate with a balanced budget and maintain a responsible fund balance.

The final $275 million community-driven plan would cost the average district household an additional $577 per year. Please utilize the tax calculator below to determine your tax impact.
Tax Calculator

~ New Question Added 3.5.26
How long will the tax increase last? 
The district is considering a borrowing period of 25 to 30 years, similar to a mortgage. As the community grows, the payment will remain the same but will be shared with new taxpayers.

~ New Question Added 3.5.26
Why is District 115 underfunded? 
The district is underfunded due to state budget decisions and the evidence-based funding formula, which currently funds the district at 76% adequacy.

~ New Question Added 3.5.26
Why can’t the State of Illinois pay?
Funding for schools in Illinois comes through Evidence Based Funding. Due to the structure of how schools are funded within the state, property taxes, there is no earmarked funding for districts that need to make significant investments in their facilities. 

~ New Question Added 3.5.26
Why doesn't the district use $130M in reserves for the project?
The District does not have $130M in reserves. The $130M amount would be the district’s borrowing capacity without increasing current taxes.

~ New Question Added 3.5.26
Why did we spend money on field turf and tennis courts? 
The district was at a point where they had to spend the general obligation bonds or face a penalty. Several factors were considered when allocating these bonds, including the turf fields.

Expanded Usable Space: The stadium project provides significantly more practice space for band, soccer, and football. Previously, the natural grass field was largely used only for competition events and was significantly underutilized.

Improved Playability: Field turf offers superior drainage compared to natural grass, which ensures fields remain playable during early spring weather. This extends the season (limiting cancellations) and creates more opportunities for our student-athletes.

Community Access and Revenue: The Board anticipated that field turf would accommodate higher volumes of community use, including Yorkville Youth Tackle Football, Parks and Rec programs, and local club sports. There was also an expectation that increased field availability would generate revenue through rental agreements

The new tennis courts were built because the old tennis courts were beyond repair. The tennis courts serve our students during PE class, our boys and girls tennis team, and they also serve as a community space.

Will bonds approved by the referendum be used to cover salaries and benefits? 
No. Bonds will only be used to fund needed infrastructure projects. By law, these funds must only be used for that purpose because referendum language is legally binding. We will continue to fund salaries and benefits out of our standard operating budget. Any funds approved by the community for their schools will be 100% invested in improving our school infrastructure.

~ New Question Added 3.5.26
How will the District staff the facilities after the new spaces are created?
The district would take three K-3 buildings offline and move the 6th grade to the middle school, allowing staff to be reallocated to mitigate increased staffing costs. Some hiring will be necessary due to increased enrollment, but many staff members will be reallocated from existing buildings that will be taken offline.

Why is a referendum needed when the data centers will be bringing in up to $70 million a year in property taxes?
If approved, the data centers under consideration by the City of Yorkville would bring significant tax revenue to the community, but they face a long road to approval. If the data centers are able to get approval, begin operations and provide significant tax revenue to the district, the Board of Education would have the ability to either rebate taxes back to property owners or pay off the referendum bonds sooner, reducing costs significantly for property owners.

What will we see on the ballot?
To achieve the improvements desired by our community, the Yorkville CUSD 115 Board of Education voted on December 15 to place the following referendum question on the ballot in the upcoming March 17, 2026 primary election:

"Shall the Board of Education of Yorkville Community Unit School District Number 115, Kendall and Kane Counties, Illinois, build and equip two school buildings; build and equip additions to the Yorkville High School Building, including construction of an academic wing, a performing arts center, and a fieldhouse; alter, repair and equip existing school buildings and facilities, including construction of additional classrooms and teacher and student support spaces, and improvements to safety, infrastructure and mechanical systems; improve school sites; and issue bonds of said School District to the amount of $275,143,683 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?"

~ New Question Added 3.5.26
Why doesn’t the district post both options on the ballot for selection? 
Only one prompt can be posted on the ballot at a time per law.

~ New Question Added 3.5.26
Why did the district choose this plan over a less expensive alternative?
While a lower-cost option (Solution 1 at $152.3 million) was considered, it only addressed 3–6 years of student growth. Based on public feedback, the district moved forward with a community solution that provides a longer-term solution for 12–15 years of growth and addresses critical needs at the high school level.

Solution 1: New Middle School, Yorkville Grade School Expansion, and Circle Center Grade School Transitions to Early Childhood Center. Approximate funding amount: $152.3 million | Approximate Growth Accommodation: 3-6 years

Solution 3: New Middle School, New Elementary School, Circle Center Grade School Transitions to Early Childhood Center, Significant Addition at High School (New Academic Wing, Fieldhouse & Auditorium), Yorkville Intermediate School Special Ed Upgrades, Yorkville Grade School Demolished for Parking and Green Space After New School Opens. Approximate funding amount: $295.1 million (including 20 million from district reserves) | Approximate growth accommodation: 12-15 years

Who can vote and where can I register to vote?
You can vote in the March 17, 2026, election if:

• You are a U.S. citizen.
• You are 17 years old by March 17 and will turn 18 by November 3, 2026 (general election day).
• You have been a resident of your precinct at least 30 days prior to election day.

You must be a registered voter, and you may register to vote online through the Illinois State Board of Elections website.

What are the different ways to vote?

You can vote by mail. You may now request a vote-by-mail application here:

• Kendall County
• Kane County

You can vote early. In-person early voting begins at temporary sites from February 5 to March 16 and at permanent sites from March 2 to March 16. Click here to find your early voting locations:

• Kendall County
• Kane County

You can vote in person on Election Day, March 17. Click here to find your polling place location:

• Kendall County
• Kane County

Yorkville CUSD 115 Project Information

Our community’s plan for our school district will appear on our ballots for final approval in the upcoming March 17 election. If successful, this $275 million referendum will allow the district to:

• Solve Our Overcrowding Issues Now and Into the Future
• Make Our School Buildings Safer and More Accessible
• Improve Learning Environments for All Students

Referendum Plan
Includes:

• New Middle School
• New Elementary School
• Circle Center Grade School Transitions to Early Childhood Center
• Major Academic Wing Addition at Yorkville High School
• New Auditorium at Yorkville High School
• New Fieldhouse at Yorkville High School
• Yorkville Intermediate School Transitions to K-5 with Special Ed Upgrades
• Infrastructure Improvements at Yorkville Middle School, Yorkville Intermediate School, Bristol Bay Elementary School, Autumn Creek Elementary School, and Grande Reserve Elementary School

Advantages:

• All improvements desired by the community can be achieved, including Classroom Spaces, Safety, Music & Performing Arts Spaces, Teacher & Staff Support, Student Services & Supports, Infrastructure & Mechanicals, Programming Spaces, Indoor Physical Education & Sports Spaces, Parking & Student Drop Off, and Outdoor Spaces.
• All high school students would be housed at the expanded main campus, alleviating safety concerns.
• Transitions reduced as all grade schools become K-5 and middle schools become 6-8.
• Significant infrastructure work at all schools.

Estimated Cost:

• $275 million (plus $20 million in district reserves)

Approximate Tax Impact:

• $577/yr (for a $323,700 home)

If the referendum is successful, the average $323,700 home in the district would see an increase of $577 per year in property taxes. Please utilize the tax calculator below to determine your tax impact.
Tax Calculator

Voting Information

Ballot Question

To achieve the improvements desired by our community, the Yorkville CUSD 115 Board of Education voted on December 15, 2025, to place the following referendum question on the ballot in the upcoming March 17, 2026, primary election:

"Shall the Board of Education of Yorkville Community Unit School District Number 115, Kendall and Kane Counties, Illinois, build and equip two school buildings; build and equip additions to the Yorkville High School Building, including construction of an academic wing, a performing arts center, and a fieldhouse; alter, repair and equip existing school buildings and facilities, including construction of additional classrooms and teacher and student support spaces, and improvements to safety, infrastructure and mechanical systems; improve school sites; and issue bonds of said School District to the amount of $275,143,683 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?"

Voter Qualifications

• A U.S. citizen.
• You may vote at 17 years old in the March 17, 2026, primary election if you will be 18 by the November 3 general election.
• A resident of your precinct at least 30 days prior to Election Day.

Ways to Register

• You may register to vote online through the Illinois State Board of Elections website.

Ways to Vote

You can vote by mail. You may now request a vote-by-mail application here:

• Kendall County
• Kane County

You can vote early. In-person early voting begins at temporary sites from February 5 to March 16 and at permanent sites from March 2 to March 16. Click here to find your early voting locations:

• Kendall County
• Kane County

You can vote in person on Election Day, March 17. Click here to find your polling
place location:

• Kendall County
• Kane County

Tax Information

We are one of the most fiscally responsible districts in the state. Our spending is less than any peer district and considerably less than the state average. Our student-to-administrator ratio is 40% higher than the state average, proving we are investing the funding we have into kids and classrooms instead of administrative costs. We maintain our facilities to extend them well beyond their typical lifespan and perform as much work in-house as possible to save money. And we always operate with a balanced budget and maintain a responsible fund balance.

However, our explosive growth has put us in an unsustainable position. Our enrollment has nearly tripled in the past 20 years. Every building is overcrowded, with even more growth projected in the future. This has created packed classrooms, too many transitions for students as we try to fit kids wherever we can, and programming taking place in inadequate spaces.

Because we have historically been among the lowest funded districts in the entire state, historically funded at 67% adequacy, we do not have the ability to make the significant infrastructure investments needed to resolve our overcrowding challenges. And while our teachers and staff do the best they can, the reality is this overcrowding is beginning to hurt our ability to provide our students the quality education our community expects.

If the referendum is successful, the average $323,700 home in the district would see an increase of $577 per year in property taxes. Please utilize the tax calculator to determine your tax impact by inputting your Fair Cash Value amount in the red box. (Please use the Tax Bill example under the Tax Information tab below to locate your Fair Cash Value amount.)
Tax Calculator

In-Person & Virtual Town Halls

We have scheduled five upcoming public meetings to provide you with more information and answer any questions you may have about the March 17 referendum. The meeting on February 24 will be a virtual Zoom webinar, and registration is required (see below). The other meetings will be in person.

We hope you will attend one of these sessions:

IN-PERSON TOWN HALLS

• 6:30 pm Wednesday, January 28 – Yorkville Middle School, 920 Prairie Crossing, Yorkville.
• 6:30 pm Tuesday, February 3 – Circle Center Grade School, 901 Mill Street, Yorkville.
• 6:30 pm Thursday, February 19 – Grande Reserve Elementary School, 3142 Grande Trail, Yorkville.
• 7:00 pm Friday, February 20 - (Spanish Session) Autumn Creek Elementary School, 2377 Autumn Creek Blvd, Yorkville.
• 10:00 am Saturday, February 21 – Yorkville High School Academy, 702 Game Farm Road, Yorkville.

VIRTUAL INFORMATIONAL SESSION

• 6:30 pm Tuesday, February 24 – Complete