Arthur CUSD Bond Proposal on June 28 Ballot

All Buildings To Be Improved

News Release Arthur CUSD #305 – On June 28th, voters in the Arthur Community Unit School District 308 will be asked to approve a bond proposal to improve all schools in the Arthur CUSD 305 district Arthur CUSD 305’s Board of Education unanimously voted to place the proposal on the ballot following the district’s community engagement program called U-Knight 305. The facility improvement masterplan, developed by U-Knight 305, renovates, and expands the district’s historic high school for it to become a grade 6-12 building, improves all grade schools with more space for best practices in curriculum and instruction and provides safety and security upgrades including new secured entries. This means each community will retain its elementary school serving grades PK-5, and all our 6-8 students will now learn together at the upgraded 6-12 campus.

“When our high school was built more than a hundred years ago, it was built to last,” commented Arthur CUSD 305 superintendent Shannon Cheek. “It has what the architects call ‘good bones.’ Because of that, we can cost-effectively renovate the building, expand it to serve grades 6-8, and prepare it for a second century of service to our community. The ‘good bones” description can be applied to all our buildings. It is important for residents of our district to know that our plan improves every building in our district. We think that’s important to our communities and the families they serve.”

The U-Knight 305 community engagement program reached consensus on a $30.6 million bond proposal, following more than a year of exploration and study and after examining many options. Participants in the program considered this option the most cost-effective option for improving the educational environment for all students in all buildings.

“Residents of our district are encouraged to review information on our district’s website,” continued Mr. Creek. “We have provided a lot of detail about our plan and how it impacts district property owners. Because Illinois taxes are so complex, we’ve included, on our website, an electronic calculator so that every taxpayer can determine the impact of our bond proposal on their annual taxes. We want to be completely transparent about this.”

The district’s website is https://www.cusd305.org/.

Throughout the U-Knight 305 program, the district has offered tours of existing buildings. Even though the election is not far off, there is still time to call the district and schedule a walkthrough of the schools.

“We think, when it comes to the condition of our buildings, that seeing is believing,” concluded Mr. Cheek. With a week left before the election, there is still time to call our office and schedule a tour. We’ll do everything possible to comply with the requests.”

Election day is June 28th. Polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Early voting started May 19 and continues through June 27th. If residents are not registered, they can still register to vote, and then early vote, through the Illinois grace period voting law. To get information voting, district residents should call their county clerk’s office.