Construction Referendum Resources
We are putting this page together to give our community the necessary resources they need for the construction referendum that will be on the April 1st ballot. We strive to answer as many questions as possible with these resources. The Elverado School Board will be hosting another special meeting on March 25th at the Elverado Primary School to gather community input and answer questions.
Tax Rate Comparison
This chart shows the tax rates for all of the schools in Jackson County. The current tax rate shows what the tax rates were in the 2023 levy year payable in 2024. The proposed tax rate is what the tax rates would be for the schools in Jackson County if the construction referendum was passed. Elverado currently has the lowest tax rate of schools in Jackson County, and if the referendum passes, Elverado will still have the lowest tax rate in Jackson County.
Elverado School Building History
1940
EJHS Gym
1949
EPS
1959
EIS
1969
EPS Addition
1969
EIS Addition
1993
EJHS
Referendum Documents
Construction Referendum FAQ
If the referendum is voted down what is the plan? Would money continue to be spent on these old buildings?
Yes, the District will continue to spend money on the current facilities if the referendum fails. We are currently at a crossroads where many issues are in need of replacement or repairs. But, we also know that the needed repairs would likely amount to a significant sum of money. The board didn’t feel it would be wise to spend a significant amount of money and still have old buildings.
Besides saving money on utilities by building a new school would there still be as many principals? Would money be saved there if not as many were needed to possibly pay teachers or principals more in order to keep them longer?
The Board has discussed, and envisioned, possible savings on personnel, but not specifics at this point. As you allude to, my recommendation to the Board would be to put any savings in personnel salaries back into salaries and benefits. Meaning, if we were able to eliminate a position I would recommend putting that salary savings back into other personnel salaries and benefits. Technically, it doesn’t save us money but could boost salaries and benefits for others. Most people don’t realize we don’t pay as well as many districts in the area. Putting money back into salaries and benefits might help with employee retention.
Is consolidation an option for any/all grade levels? If so, what is the cost comparison vs new build and what are the cons?
Consolidation is a very broad topic with many different scenarios, which are too varied to provide a simple explanation. However, for simplicity's sake two scenarios are more easily explained. First, if we were to completely close our schools, we would need to find a district that is willing to absorb the district. Meaning they, and we, would place a referendum on the ballot and have it pass in both districts. At that point, community members would pay property taxes to the accepting school district at their tax rate. The second option would be Elverado continuing as a district, but paying another district to take our students. Again, we would need a neighboring district to accept our students. But, we would adopt a contract to pay that district to provide services to our students. The associated cost is based on several factors, state funding, transportation, special education services, etc. Currently, Dongola is sending high school students to Vienna under such an agreement. The Dongola and Vienna High School Superintendents shared information with me. Dongola is paying Vienna approximately $382,000 for 33 students this year. That is roughly $11,576 per student. Our demographics are similar to Dongola, so we could apply their number for an estimate. We have approximately 100 students at EHS. ($11,576 x 100 = $1,157,600) We can reasonably estimate that it would cost us about $1,157,000 a year to send our EHS students to another district. Again, these are rough estimates based on information provided by another Southern Illinois district, but it does give you an idea of how this scenario might work.
Is there a floor plan for the new all-in-one building? Is there room to grow and sufficient parking?
Yes, there is a draft floor plan included in the slideshow on the referendum page. There were initial drafts created in order to provide construction estimates. The final draft would be developed after gathering community and staff input for the new building.
Has the board discussed/considered Illinois General Assembly Bill HB4582 and if it would be a viable option for our district’s current scenario?
Yes, House Bill 4582 of the 103rd General Assembly passed and is now Public Act 103-0591. The Board did discuss the new legislation and if you look closely at the plans you will notice two classrooms set aside for PreK. The Board hopes to add a full-time PreK classroom in the future in addition to the current half-day classes. This legislation played a part in the Board’s decision to place the construction referendum on the ballot.
What is the plan if the new building price exceeds the $11 M bond amount?
The actual projected cost of construction and related fees is $10,780,000. There is an additional $220,000 included for contingency. In addition, the District receives approximately $325,000 a year from the 1% County School Facility Occupation Tax, which has allowed the district to accumulate funds to be used towards construction as well.
Can one of the buildings still be utilized in order to scale back the project? Or are all the buildings un-fixable?
The Jr high school is still usable, but is in need of upgrades as well. The Board discussed the plausibility of constructing just a PreK - 5th grade. That total cost was estimated to be approximately $8 million. However, doing so creates an issue in itself. In order to pay for this, or any other, major project the district will have to issue Bonds. Issuing bonds is similar to an individual taking out a loan to purchase a new home. You issue the bonds (take out a loan) and establish a payment schedule. However, the district would make a single payment every year. The district is looking at a 25-year period to repay the bonds. Due to the large sum being issued in bonds the district would be unable to issue more bonds (take out another loan) until the bonds are fully expired. So, we will still have the Jr high school that is in need of extensive upgrades and repairs, but will be unable to generate the funds needed to complete any work for the next 25 years.
Do you have an actual cost comparison between permanently fixing one or more of the buildings and the cost of the new building? Pros and cons?
We are required to submit a Capital Needs Assessment (CNA) to the State Board of Education every two years. Our most recent CNA was submitted in 2024. For the CNA to be completed the architect inspects the buildings and records information for building issues that need to be addressed. What most people don’t realize is that when you are doing upgrades or repairs that affect the structure of the facility you are required to meet all modern building codes. So, it’s not simply pulling up toilets, cutting a hole in the floor, and replacing a sewer line. It’s now meeting current building code, meeting American’s with Disabilities Act, current Fire Code, and any other code adopted since the buildings were originally constructed. Having said that, the architect estimated that the needed work to fully upgrade the primary school, intermediate school and Jr high, and meeting all code requirements would be $11,785,000. His estimate to build a new PreK - 8 building was $7,500,000. The cost of construction has increased a little, and that number does not include finance fees.
What happens to the old buildings? Is there an actual plan to demolish and a cost estimate of that?
There hasn’t been a great deal of discussion on what happens after. However, The Board has discussed the possibility of selling/leasing the Jr high to another educational entity such as Tri-County, or a vocational training program. All of the buildings could be sold, but no real decision has been made. However, the referendum and cost estimate does allow for demolition if needed.
Wouldn't it be better to have the 6,7,8 on the same end as the gym for less noise when going to the gym?
This is just an initial draft to ensure we included enough space for a construction cost estimate.
Will you be trying to get local contractors if approved?
If the referendum passes, state law dictates how the bid process works, and what bids should be accepted. Local contractors are more than welcome to submit bids, but the law is the biggest determining factor in who is awarded a project.
Referendum Questions
We hope that these resources were able to answer your questions about the construction referendum that will be on the ballot. If you still have question, please submit your questions here.
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2023 - 2026
Elverado CUSD 196