D303 WANTS Another $285 Million - Look at D303's Past first

a 25 year lookback at d303 before they burden another 25

Before Approving a Record-Setting $282.5 Million Bond Referendum, Voters Should Examine D303’s Financial and Litigation History

By Kane County Speaks | September 20, 2026

No readers....this isn't an AI article.  But....who cares?  Truths are truths.  And AI did help assimilate the list that you need to read, especially to taxpayers who are thinking about allowing the D303 taxing body to spend more of your money.  You'll find the AI supported list on the bottom of this article.

On November 3, District 303 voters will decide whether to authorize $282.5 million in new bonds for a major districtwide facilities plan.

According to D303, the total proposal is estimated at $312.5 million. The district says it will contribute $30 million from existing resources, leaving $282.5 million to be financed through voter-approved bonds.  Lucky you.  And The ballot language authorizes improvements for maintenance the district neglected to address with the prior tax revenue.  And they want to add an athletic facility.

Source: District 303 Referendum Information

That is an extraordinary amount of money, particularly when considered against D303’s history of facility problems, litigation and unexpected expenses.   D303 also acknowledges that its facilities committee identified approximately $187 million in deferred maintenance needs before the current referendum package was developed.

But note that D303 says that this new tax burden, should you choose to pay for it, is like a 25-28 year mortgage.  Lucky you.  Oh yeah, it'll be paid off no earlier than 2051.  How old will you be then?

LOOK BACK 25 -28 YEARS at D303

A lawsuit against a school district does not prove that the district did anything wrong.  That distinction is important.  Several cases involving D303 were dismissed. The district prevailed on significant claims in others. Some litigation involved allegations that were never adjudicated on their merits, and some cases involved D303 as only one defendant among many.  But litigation still costs money.

Court cases can involve outside attorneys, consultants, administrators, expert witnesses, document production, insurance deductibles, staff time, appeals and years of institutional attention.

A review of publicly available records identified 14 underlying civil actions involving D303, its Board of Education or district officials since 2000, organized into 12 entries because three related mold personal-injury lawsuits arose from the same underlying event.

A review of publicly available records identified 14 underlying civil actions involving D303, its Board of Education or district officials since 2000, organized into 12 entries because three related mold personal-injury lawsuits arose from the same underlying event. 

But to be clear, it DOES NOT represent every claim, administrative proceeding, insurance matter or confidential settlement involving the district.

THE MOLD CRISIS: APPROXIMATELY $28 MILLION

Contemporary reporting placed the St. Charles East mold response at approximately $28 million ($54,000,000 in 2026 valuation) including remediation, temporary classrooms and student relocation. Archived Chicago Sun-Times report. (Mold-Help.org)

Three student personal-injury lawsuits filed between 2001 and 2002 were settled for $90,000 in 2007. The Illinois School District Agency reported another $550,889 in defense expenses, totaling $640,889 for defense and settlement. These expenses were paid by the risk pool, not directly by D303. (Justia Law)

A separate insurance-coverage lawsuit began in 2003. In 2012, the appellate court reversed portions of a ruling favoring D303, rejected its claim for certain expert expenses and returned the case for further proceedings. Illinois appellate opinion. (Justia Law)

DAVIS-RICHMOND: MORE THAN $316,000 IN REPORTED LEGAL FEES

Parents challenged the 2011 reorganization of Davis and Richmond elementary schools. Reported legal fees reached $316,945.49 through August 31, 2013, with approximately $75,684 reportedly covered by insurance. That was an interim figure, not the final cost of the litigation. Contemporary legal-fee reporting. (Patch)

The appellate court ultimately left the reorganization intact and vacated the corrective-action writ following a federal waiver. 2014 appellate decision. (Justia Law)

OTHER LITIGATION: DIFFERENT CLAIMS, DIFFERENT OUTCOMES

Stanek: This special-education case began in 2013. The court dismissed it with prejudice after repeated failures to produce the student for a court-ordered deposition. The Seventh Circuit affirmed in 2022. The dismissal was a discovery sanction, not a trial verdict on every allegation. Seventh Circuit decision. (Justia Law)

Pearson: The family of a student whose wheelchair tipped during school-bus transportation sued over the 2019 incident. A March 27, 2026 order dismissed some claims but allowed willful-and-wanton misconduct and disability-related claims to continue. That order is not a final judgment or settlement. Federal court order. (Justia Law)

$187 MILLION IN IDENTIFIED MAINTENANCE NEEDS

D303’s facilities timeline states that its community committee identified approximately $187 million in deferred maintenance. This is an estimate of building needs, not a past expenditure or lawsuit payment. The current referendum combines repairs with accessibility and program-space projects. D303 facilities history; proposed project categories. (District 303)

WHAT THE COST FIGURES DO—AND DO NOT—SHOW

The reported $28 million mold cost, $640,889 in risk-pool defense and settlement payments, and $316,945.49 in Davis-Richmond legal fees add arithmetically to approximately $28.96 million. (Mold-Help.org)

Again, this is not a complete & audited total of direct taxpayer spending. Insurance payments, reimbursements and potential overlap between expense categories require reconciliation. The available figures also do not establish the complete defense cost of the other cases.

Past expenses, current maintenance estimates and proposed borrowing are separate figures—not one combined bill.   However......do your due diligence.  This is only a very partial list.

If the taxpayers elect to burden you with a new 25-28 year mortgage, rest assured there will be more unplanned lawsuits, attorney's fees and settlements that they did not account for.  Do you want another mortgage won't end until at least 2051? 

SOURCES

District 303 — 2026 Referendum Information
https://district.d303.org/referendum

District 303 — Facilities History / “How Did We Get Here?”
https://district.d303.org/facilities-timeline

District 303 — Facilities Investment Planning
https://district.d303.org/facilities-investment

District 303 — Communitywide Education Facilities Committee
https://district.d303.org/facilities-committee

Illinois School District Agency v. St. Charles Community Unit School District 303, 2012 IL App (1st) 100088
https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/files/1100088.pdf/opinion

Clarke v. Community Unit School District 303, 2012 IL App (2d) 110705
https://law.justia.com/cases/illinois/court-of-appeals-second-appellate-district/2012/2-11-0705.html

Donovan v. Community Unit School District 303, 2015 IL App (2d) 140704
https://www.illinoiscourts.gov/Resources/eba3c1ed-4ee5-4b32-8483-4427dc41a61f/2140704.pdf

Stanek v. St. Charles Community Unit School District 303
https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca7/14-3012/14-3012-2015-04-09.html

Pearson v. Community Unit School District No. 303, N.D. Illinois No. 1:20-cv-05096
https://dockets.justia.com/docket/illinois/ilndce/1%3A2020cv05096/385531

Kane County Circuit Clerk — Online Court Records
https://cic.countyofkane.org/Pages/Online-Court-Records.aspx