The Elmhurst Community Unit School District 205 Board held a regular meeting on Nov. 18 at the District 205 Center, 162 S. York St.
One of the board’s seven members—Kelly Asseff—was absent from the meeting.
There were no public comments during the meeting.
Board recognizes York’s boys golf team and district’s PSRP employees
The board honored York High School’s boys golf team during the meeting’s spotlight and recognition segment. York’s boys golf team won the third-place trophy at the IHSA Class 3A state tournament, which took place Oct. 10-11 in Bloomington. York coach Jim Borel noted during the meeting that the Dukes won a regional title and posted a third-place finish in a highly competitive sectional before taking part in the state event. New Trier won the Class 3A team title. Evanston claimed the second-place trophy. York edged out fourth-place Hersey in the battle for the third-place trophy. Borel mentioned that the Dukes earned their third-place finish this year without having any of their players earn a top-10 finish in the state tournament’s individual standings. He stated that this year’s success was due to a full team effort.
The board also honored the district’s PSRP (Paraprofessional and School-Related Personnel) employees during the meeting’s spotlight and recognition segment. The day after the meeting—Wednesday, Nov. 19—was PSRP Appreciation Day. Board president Athena Arvanitis thanked the district’s PSRP employees for their hard work, dedication, and attention. She described them as the heart and soul of the district.
District 205 Superintendent Keisha Campbell noted at the end of the spotlight and recognition segment that Nov. 15 was School Board Members Day in Illinois. She extended her gratitude to the district’s board members for their volunteer service. The district played a video recognizing District 205’s board members at the end of the meeting.
Blomquist gives presentation about 2025 tax levy
The meeting included a presentation about the district’s estimated tax levy for 2025. Joseph Blomquist, the district’s assistant superintendent of finance and operations, gave a presentation about the tax levy. He related that local property taxes account for nearly 85 percent of the district’s total revenues in its 2026 fiscal year. He stated that in addition to attracting families and businesses, strong schools help to make homes more valuable.
Blomquist said that the district did not have all of the exact numbers related to 2025 figures, but he noted that one of the key figures in the tax levy calculation was the prior year’s tax extension, which was nearly $141.3 million. He also mentioned the law that limits he amount a taxing body can levy to the lesser of two figures—the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or 5 percent. He noted that the 2024 CPI, which is applied to the 2025 tax levy, is 2.9 percent.
Blomquist said that another factor in determining the levy, or request, is the amount of new construction in the district during the year. He said that a preliminary estimate indicates there was about $30 million in new construction in the district this year. Blomquist’s presentation stated that the district’s final tax levy amount for 2025 is about $147.78 million.
Blomquist added that several of the district’s ongoing expenditures (including health insurance, transportation, the contract for athletic trainers, food for breakfast and lunch at district schools, and electricity rates) are expected to increase at a rate higher than the Consumer Price Index. Blomquist’s presentation stated that the district’s total expenditures are expected to increase about $5 million each year due to inflation and negotiated agreements.
One chart in the presentation stated that the district’s projected year-end fund balance would be at least $41.8 million at the end of each fiscal year through 2031. According to that chart, the district was projected to have a year-end fund balance of about $43.38 million at the end of its 2026 fiscal year. The district is projected to have a year-end fund balance of about $46.8 million a the end of its 2031 fiscal year.
The board will hold a hearing and vote on the adoption of the district’s proposed tax levy at its next regular meeting. The tax extension calculation for 2025 will be finalized in March 2026. The first installment of property taxes payments are due in June of 2026. The second installment is due in September 2026. Blomquist noted that the property tax payments due in June of 2026 are recorded into the data for the district’s 2026 fiscal year, while the payments due in September 2026 are recorded into the data for the district’s 2027 fiscal year.
Board approves school calendars for the next two school years
Board members voted unanimously during the meeting to approve the district calendars for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years. The first day of student attendance for the 2026-27 school year will be Thursday, Aug. 13, 2026. York High School’s Class of 2027 will celebrate its commencement on Sunday, May 23, 2027.
The first day of student attendance for the 2027-28 school year will be Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2027. York’s Class of 2028 will celebrate its commencement on Sunday, May 21, 2028.
Board approves separate bond issues for life safety projects and increasing the district’s working cash fund
Board members voted 5-1 to approve a resolution providing for the issue of not to exceed $15 million in life safety bonds. The funds from those bonds will be used to help pay for life safety projects in the district over the next five years while maintaining the debt service tax rate at its current rate, adjusted for inflation.
According to the district, after review by the Regional Office of Education and the Illinois State Board of Education, the total cost of life safety items that may or must be addressed within the next five years is estimated at about $19.6 million.
Board members also voted 5-1 to approve a resolution providing for the issue of not to exceed $8.5 million in general obligation bonds for the purpose of supporting annual capital projects and increasing the district’s working cash fund.
Courtenae Trautmann voted against both of the resolutions regarding bond issuances.
Elizabeth Hennessy, a managing director at Raymond James, advises District 205 on bond-related issues. She spoke during the meeting and said that the life safety bonds will be paid back over 10 years, and that the bonds to increase the district’s working cash fund will be paid back over five years. Hennessy said the interest rate on the life safety bonds is 3.22 percent, while the interest rate on the working cash fund bonds is 3.1 percent.
Board and administration congratulate six York students who earned perfect ACT scores
Campbell noted near the end of the meeting that six York students had earned perfect scores on the ACT—a standardized test for college admissions. Those students are Gabriel Boutin, Liam Fahey, John Kattoor, Colin Mahoney, Anand Peel, and Alexander Sjullie.
The board will hold its next regular meeting, and its final regular meeting of 2025, on Dec. 16.