Belleville school district eyes $18M bonds. What’s it mean for students, taxpayers
Belleville Township High School District 201 is considering issuing up to $18 million of working cash bonds to finance miscellaneous improvements at its schools.
The board of education took the first step in the process during its December meeting, approving a resolution of intent. Assistant Superintendent of Finance and Operations Dustin Bilbruck said the $18 million figure includes the cost of projects the board intends to finance with the bonds, although the board may ultimately issue less than that amount.
The bonds’ uses could be broad.
“We had talked before about issuing bonds for capital improvement, special board projects, general operations at the not-to-exceed amount that’s listed in the resolution,” Bilbruck said at Monday’s board meeting.
Potential uses for the bonds include completing roof work on Belleville East’s buildings, brickwork on the campus, transportation needs and any additional safety initiatives the board may approve, Bilbruck said.
Bilbruck also noted the board considered the potential bond issuance when constructing its requested 2025 property tax levy, which it approved at Monday’s meeting. The district hopes to collect $43,284,528 from property taxpayers within its boundaries. The levy includes an increase of less than 1% over the previous year’s debt service category.
Often, when issuing bonds, districts spread payments over extended periods to minimize the annual burden to taxpayers.
Bilbruck said this potential bond issuance is an opportunity to plan for a “tight” state budget year for education. As Capitol News Illinois reported, high demand in other areas of the state budget and projected minimal or no growth in state revenues threaten how much the state can allocate to education overall.
The concern is that the state’s contribution to District 201’s fiscal 2027 budget may not increase, Bilbruck said. The working cash bond issuance would help the district prepare for that scenario, he said.
According to Illinois law, to move forward with the bond issuance, the district must post a notice in the Belleville News-Democrat. District residents will have 30 days to submit a petition, and if it is signed by 10% of the district’s registered voters, the bond issuance will be placed on the ballot. If not, the district may proceed without a referendum. Regardless, the board will hold a hearing as part of the bond issuance process, Bilbruck said..