At its latest meeting, the District 204 Board of Education approved a tentative tax levy of $292.1 million.
This represents a 3.9 percent increase over last year, but new construction and rising property values mean homeowners will only see an approximate 2.1 percent rise.
“For a $300,000 house, that’s about $49.50,” said Jay Strang, Chief School Business Official of District 204.
Strang also said that local property taxes are the district’s most reliable source of income – approximately 84 percent of the district’s revenue.
The board will hold a public hearing on the tax levy on December 11.
Also discussed at the meeting were results of the district’s standardized testing – with 204’s average scores regularly being higher than the state’s.
The average score on the SAT was 1166, compared to 1016 for the state.
However, standardized test scores for both the SAT and PARCC indicate that the achievement gap continues to exist. Black and Hispanic students consistently score lower than white and Asian students.
“When we look back at kindergarten and first grade assessments, we see the same thing. Students are entering with that gap, and even though everyone is growing, the gap is persistent,” said Charles Sprandel, executive director of research and assessment.
Naperville News 17’s Blane Erwin reports.
