District 300 $355.5M School Bond Referendum Set For November Ballot

ALGONQUIN, IL — District 300 voters will decide Nov. 3 whether the school district can issue $355.5 million in bonds to fund school construction, renovations, safety improvements and a new Career and Technical Education Center.

The referendum question, as it will appear on the ballot, asks whether Community Unit School District 300 should be authorized to issue the bonds to “build and equip additions to and alter, repair and equip school buildings and facilities,” including secured entryways, safety and security improvements and additional classrooms.

The proposal also calls for construction and equipment for a Career and Technical Education Center, land acquisition and site improvements.

The ballot question reads:

Proposition To Issue $355,500,000 School Building Bonds

Shall the Board of Education of Community Unit School District Number 300, Kane, McHenry, Cook and DeKalb Counties, Illinois, build and equip additions to and alter, repair and equip school buildings and facilities, including, but not limited to, secured entryways, safety and security improvements and additional classrooms; build and equip a Career and Technical Education Center; acquire land; improve sites; and issue its bonds to the amount of $355,500,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?

The District 300 Board of Education voted unanimously in July to put the bond proposal before voters. If approved, the $355.5 million in referendum bonds would be combined with approximately $87 million in existing district funds, according to the district.

District officials said the funding would support more than 20 projects across the district's three high school feeder patterns: Dundee-Crown, Hampshire and Jacobs.

The projects were identified through District 300's Master Facility Plan and a yearlong community engagement effort called Together for Tomorrow. The process included two community surveys, workshops, focus groups, open houses and school tours, with a final report of community recommendations presented to the school board in May.

The district estimates the referendum would cost the owner of a $400,000 home about $8.41 more per month, or approximately $101 more per year.

The proposed work includes building additions, renovations and safety and security improvements throughout the district, along with the new CTE Center designed to provide students with hands-on career training.

The election will be Nov. 3, 2026, when District 300 voters will decide whether to authorize the bond issuance.

District 300 said additional information about individual projects, cost estimates and frequently asked questions will be made available at d300.org as the November election approaches.