The Feb. 24 Kaneland board meeting covered several topics, including the district’s energy purchasing, the Crown Community Development Tax increment Financing (TIF) in Sugar Grove and the presentation of the math curriculum series. All board members were present.
Other topics included the approval of the food service triennial assessment that was conducted by Food Service Director Gigi Gochee Statler and the approval of the 2025 summer school fees.
The meeting was called to order at 6 p.m., followed by a superintendent salute from Superintendent Dr. Kurt Rohlwing. He invited seventh grader Aidan Zwick, who attended the 2025 Super Bowl with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, to the podium.
The meeting continued with seven public comments, beginning with Blackberry Township resident Carolyn Anderson, who started her comment with a video of Finance Director/Treasurer for the Village of Sugar Grove Matt Anastasia discussing the estimated cost of the TIF for Sugar Grove. Anderson placed an attorney’s letter on each board member’s seat, which was funded by a small group that crowdfunded a few thousand dollars to help the board make the best decision. Anderson reads the letter aloud, sharing that she believes the development’s bottom line is all profit for Crown. “It is not about the TIF or meeting the state statutes in law that require a TIF,” Anderson said.
Sugar Grove resident Perry Elliott criticized the proposed TIF for being invalid. He explained that with the proposed 80-20 TIF revenue split, the school board would receive $336.7 million from the $481 million projected revenue over 23 years. However, under the TIF proposal, the board would only receive $26.476 million over the same period. Elliott noted that if the TIF is approved, the financial impacts wouldn’t begin until 2030, the fifth year of the TIF.
Next, North Aurora resident and parent Audrey Wirth spoke positively about the referendum proposal. She compared last year’s proposal with this year’s, expressing her excitement about the change of the transportation hub from Kaneland High School to Harter Middle School. This will shorten bus time for many children. Wirth shared details of the new referendum proposal, including changes and additions to KHS, such as a new fieldhouse and an additional 1,100 seats to the home side of the football field. To conclude, she provided information on how and when to vote and encouraged attending town hall meetings.
Elburn resident Jack Rigert expressed his concerns to the board about the nation’s K-5 reading curriculum, the rising costs in Illinois and how students´ mental health is deteriorating.
“One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than the result,”Rigert said, quoting British Author and photographer Micheal Freeman.
Rigert emphasized the importance of building strong reading foundations in K-3, noting that in fourth grade, students begin reading to learn.
“I was talking to teachers from low-income areas, and all of the [test scores] were high,” Rigert said.“All of their fourth graders could read; they would be surrounded by public schools where not even one child could read. These schools found that technology at such a young age for kids is not doing any good. That actual book, pen and paper are what has worked for them all this time.”
Rigert suggested that the district’s curriculum should include lesson plans, as teachers, particularly new ones, feel overwhelmed.
“They are overwhelmed, and we need lesson plans in there so they can figure out what to teach,” Rigert said.
Next, Bogan introduced Director of Buildings and Grounds Mark Payton and Nania Energy representative Becky Thompson to discuss the district’s energy purchasing. Thompson explained how Nania, as a third-party provider, can help the district manage its energy budget.
“You can buy energy today that you will use tomorrow,” Thompson said. “Energy is typically a top five operating expense for school districts, so this allows for[Bogan] to plan for the budget.”
The next item on the agenda was the discussion of the Crown Community Development TIF in Sugar Grove. Rohlwing invited Khira Boucheks attorney Kevin Gordan to provide the board with information about the next steps and to address any questions the board might have.
“If you choose to challenge the TIF in court, the next steps would be a complaint asserting a cause of action and identifying the defects in the TIF,” Gordon said. “It would be filed in Kane County Circuit Court, and from there, the litigation commences. We would have to serve the village, and we will have an additional status conference a couple months after it is filed.” Gordon explained that the process could take years, as parties dissatisfied with the judge’s ruling could appeal to the appellate court. He expressed readiness to assist with whatever direction the board chooses to take.
The board ultimately decided to file a complaint against the TIF after Gordon presented the next steps. The board emphasized that the district is advocating for the kids in the district.
The board ultimately decided to entertain a motion that the board of education district #302 will develop a complaint challenging the Sugar Grove I-88 and IL- 47 development project area TIF district.
“If anything, we’ve had an incredible amount of community support and lot of community outpour with this request to support those folks,” Board member Aaron Lawler said. “I think it would be helpful as we navigate our strategies and see where we’re going to go to have community groups and perhaps start doing some mobilization, so we could lean on those on those groups when this comes.”
Next, Bogan discussed the approval of the food service triennial assessment, which was conducted by Statler.
“We participated in the National School Lunch Program, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture requires us to develop a local wellness policy,” Bogan said. “The board needs to approve the assessment.”
Rohlwing invited Director of Educational Services 6-12 Dr. James Horne and Director of Educational Services EC-5 Dr. Sarah Mumm to continue the curriculum series that the board has been reviewing since the fall and into the winter, specifically focusing on the math curriculum in terms of where we’ve been, where we are and where we’re going.
“We are trending below from many districts in our area and initially under the state average as it sits,”Horne said.
Horne and Mumm shared that procedures have been put in place to help mitigate this issue.
“We shift our curriculum review for our math series at the lower level,” Horne said. “We have looked at how things are structured based on units of study, they are measured on the IAR. We communicated with families through YouTube. Embedded within the practices, we have sample questions out to our students.”
In Rohlwing’s next superintendent salutes, he acknowledged senior Alex Gochis for winning his first wrestling match at the IHSA State Finals. Rohlwing also mentioned that he and his team have been addressing parking lot traffic concerns and will attend town hall meetings.
Student board representative Sarah Slattery shared that the girls varsity basketball team won their Regional semifinal game against Crystal Lake South High School on Friday, Feb. 21. She also mentioned that the boys basketball team ended their regular season with a record of 28-1, setting a new program record for number of wins in a season.
The meeting ended with a closed session, with no action resulting t. The next board meeting will be held on Monday, March 10.
