Central Illinois referendum to build new school. Here's what you need to know

Voters in the Prairie Central School District will soon have a say in whether the district should build a new grade school in Fairbury.

The school district has decided to place a referendum question on the November ballot.

Here's what you need to know.

What is the referendum for?

The district is asking voters for their permission to issue $45 million in school building bonds so it can close three schools and building a new one. The schools targeted for closure are in Chatsworth, Chenoa and Fairbury. The new school to replace the three closed schools would be built in Fairbury.

What is the wording of the referendum?

“Shall the Board of Education of Prairie Central Community Unit School District Number 8, Livingston, McLean and Ford Counties, Illinois, build and equip an elementary school building, alter, repair and equip the Prairie Central High School, Junior High School and Upper Elementary School buildings, improve sites and issue bonds of said School District to the amount of $45,000,000 for the purpose of paying the costs thereof?”

How many students will this impact?

Prairie Central Primary East is a preK-1 school in Chatsworth with 142 students. Prairie Central Primary West in Chenoa is a preK-1 school of 274 students. Prairie Central Elementary School in Fairbury serves grade 2-4 and has 319 students. If a new school is built according to plans, students in Chatsworth and Chenoa would attend the new school in Fairbury.

What is the current makeup of the district?

The Prairie Central School District has schools in Fairbury, Chenoa, Forrest and Chatsworth, serving families in those towns along with families in Strawn, Wing, Weston and Cropsey. Lower elementary school students attend classes in Chatsworth, Chenoa and Fairbury. Upper elementary and junior high school students attend classes in Forrest. The high school is in Fairbury.

The district serves 1,700 students from in and around eight small towns spread across 286 square miles.

How did the plan to build a new school come about?

The district started holding a series of meetings last spring called the Planning A Course Together meetings, or PACT for short. In those meetings, area residents, school employees and administrators discussed a variety of options including everything from making improvements to existing buildings to building a new school. The district focused on three possible scenarios for financing.

What are the three scenarios?

Each of three scenarios involved the closing of Prairie Central Primary East in Chatsworth, Prairie Central Primary West in Chenoa and Prairie Central Elementary in Fairbury.

Scenario 1 was a nearly $70 million plan that includes building the new elementary school and making upgrades at the upper elementary, junior high and high school. This plan would require the district to issue $45 million in building bonds.

Scenario 2 was a nearly $53 million plan. This would cover the construction of the new building but not the upgrades at the other building. The district would only need to issue $33 million in bonds.

Scenario 3 was a $58 million plan with $38 million in bonds but it focuses on making upgrades at current buildings and pushes back building a new school until five years out.

The wording of this fall's referendum supports Scenario 1.

How did the district choose?

The district surveyed community support for the various scenarios during the PACT meetings. Votes were held to understand how residents felt about the proposals.

How did residents vote?

During one such vote, 41 percent of those present, 196 people, voted to keep the district's elementary schools in Chatsworth, Chenoa and Fairbury. Fifty-nine percent, or 280 people, voted to consolidate the three schools into one in Fairbury.

Other votes were taken. Those voting to keep the district's elementary schools as is also voted 90% in favor of having two preK-3 schools instead of one. Those who voted to consolidate elementary school students voted 201-79 to build a new building.