December 16 Board Brief

December 16 Board Brief

Dear District 30 Family,

I hope this email finds you doing well. I wish everyone an outstanding Winter Break as we look forward to 2022! The last Board of Education Meeting included the following relevant items:

2021 Tax Levy Approved

After a public hearing, the Board approved an estimated tax levy as part of the annual levy process. The estimated 2021 levy was approved at $31,236,000 for capped funds, with $3,436,800 scheduled for non-capped funds. 

As a general reminder, school districts under the tax cap law are limited to the amount they can raise their property tax collection by CPI (Consumer Price Index) plus any new growth/construction not previously on the local tax roll. The annual levy (what is requested) is routinely set artificially high because even though this year’s CPI factor of 1.4% is known, the new growth/construction in a district is unknown. 

Mr. Falk highlighted that the Village of Glenview Announces Plan to Conclude the Glen TIF at the end of the 2021 year and the impact on this year’s levy process. This year’s levy is the one opportunity all taxing bodies within the TIF have to capture the new growth from the Glen development that has remained under the TIF from its inception until now. Therefore, taxing bodies are setting this year’s levy artificially high, with District 30 setting its levy at 30% to ensure the capturing of the new TIF property and any other unknown new property within District 30’s boundaries. Once new growth is determined in the spring, the actual 2021 extension (what is received) will be finalized and is estimated to be around 14% (1.4% for CPI + 12.6% for new growth) higher than the 2020 extension. 

The District’s future budgeting plans of the additional revenue resulting from the retirement of The Glen TIF were highlighted, which includes retiring existing debt certificates, generating building maintenance funds, and considering options for reducing the impact of existing bonds on taxpayers. The funds will also stabilize the deficit budget and help maintain the quality of educational programs. 

Willowbrook Playground Equipment Donated

Willowbrook’s playgrounds will be updated this summer. The Board approved the donation of Willowbrook playground equipment to be surplus and unnecessary for school purposes and subsequently approved this playground equipment’s donation to Kids Around The World.

Operations Update

The Board reviewed operations updates that included increasing area COVID-19 metrics and local breakthrough cases that continue to rise. Increasing vaccination rates for students were shared along with encouragement for all who have access to the vaccine to get vaccinated and boosted. Plans for SHIELD testing all vaccinated and unvaccinated students and staff who remain opted into testing were shared and will begin when school resumes on January 3, 2022. Finally, appreciation for everyone’s commitment to our students as we continue to provide normalcy was shared! 

Board Reports

Mrs. Artz reviewed the latest TrueNorth meeting, including usage, strategic planning, and budget updates. Mrs. Blonder shared highlights from our last Character Counts meeting that included celebrating student giving and the Village of Glenview’s plan to recognize Character Counts’ poster and video contest winners at their January meeting. 

The next Board Meeting will be on January 20, 2022. All are welcome!

Thank you all for your continued partnership as we all continue to commit to our students! Have a fantastic break!

Sincerely,

Dr. Brian K. Wegley
Superintendent