Future Focus
Potential November 2026 Limiting Rate Referendum Fast Facts
- Limiting Rate Proposal: Troy 30‑C is considering a limiting rate referendum for November 2026 to address critical operating and facility needs.
- Significant Enrollment Growth: The District’s enrollment is projected to exceed 4,000 students within four years, largely driven by new housing developments.
- Overcrowded Schools: Most of the District’s schools are currently overcrowded.
- Lunch Starts at 9:40 a.m.: Troy Middle School operates five lunch periods starting at 9:40 a.m., with additional circulation challenges throughout the building.
- Early Learning Center: To relieve elementary overcrowding, the District proposes creating a dedicated PreK/K Early Learning Center.
- More Space at Middle School: The proposed plan includes reconfiguring portions of the Middle School to create a large multipurpose room for lunch, testing, and other programming.
- Improved Circulation: Middle School circulation issues would be addressed by connecting first‑floor PE spaces with second‑floor academic areas.
- Maintain Class Sizes & Programs: Beyond facility needs, the limiting rate would allow the District to maintain small class sizes and existing programming.
- Modest Tax Impact: With long‑term debt retiring in 2027, the net tax impact would be $0.25—equal to $211 per year for a median‑value home of $277,600.
- Funding History: It has been 20 years since the District last sought voter‑approved funding.
Upcoming Information Sessions
Join us for one of our upcoming information sessions to learn more about the potential November 2026 limiting rate referendum.
Information Session Dates:
Thursday, April 23, 2026
Monday, April 27, 2026
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
All of the information sessions will take place from 5:30pm-7:00pm at the Troy 30-C District Office, 5800 Theodore Dr. in Plainfield. Please enter through Door 10 located behind Troy Middle School.
Unable to Attend a Community Information Session?
Click here to view the presentation materials currently being shared. A full recording of the information session will be made available for viewing after May 5.
New Housing Developments Expected to Increase Enrollment
Many Troy 30‐C schools are already experiencing overcrowding. With several single‐family and multi-family developments planned within District boundaries, enrollment growth is expected to continue.
Shorewood Development
Joliet Development
What are Troy 30-C’s most urgent facility challenges?
Troy 30‑C is facing significant space pressures due to enrollment growth and facilities that were not designed to meet today’s instructional and program needs. Key challenges include:
- Schools operating beyond their design capacity, even after $24.5 million in interior redesigns to stretch existing space.
- Overcrowded or undersized classrooms, especially for PreK, Kindergarten, and special education students.
- Circulation bottlenecks at Troy Middle School, where students must pass through the cafeteria to reach the gym and other classrooms, reducing cafeteria seating and creating daily congestion.
- Five lunch periods at the Middle School, beginning as early as 9:40 a.m. and ending as late as 1 p.m. due to limited space.
- Growing program needs in physical education, athletics, extracurriculars, preschool, and student services.
- Early childhood classrooms located in repurposed spaces not originally designed for young learners.
What are the anticipated outcomes of the proposed improvements?
The proposed improvements are expected to:
- Reduce overcrowding and space pressures
- Maintain small class sizes
- Protect programming
- Improve hallway circulation and reduce bottlenecks
- Eliminate the need for excessively early/late lunch periods
- Enhance teacher and staff recruitment and retention
- Move PK-K students into purpose-built spaces
- Maintain academic excellence
- Minimize the net tax rate increase
- Protect property values
What facility improvements are proposed?
Improvements under consideration include:
- A new Pre‑Kindergarten/Kindergarten Early Learning Center to free up elementary classroom space and move early learners into a facility designed to meet their needs.
- Converting administrative offices into a new multipurpose space at Troy Middle School, allowing for more appropriate lunch schedules and providing additional flexible space for academic testing and other programming.
- A new connection between first‑floor PE spaces and second‑floor academic areas at the Middle School to reduce hallway congestion, improve circulation, and restore cafeteria seating currently limited by the required walkway.
How did the District identify and prioritize its capital facility needs?
Needs were identified using the 2025 Facilities Master Plan, enrollment forecasting, professional building assessments, stakeholder input, and alignment with the Strategic Plan.
Has the District taken any steps to address space needs within its current budget?
Yes, including converting the auditorium at Cronin Elementary School into two classrooms, creating two Pre-K classrooms by moving the Technology Department at Cronin to leased off‑site space, and adding a modular classroom at Craughwell Elementary School.
Asked & Answered
You have questions and we want to provide answers you can rely on. Asked & Answered is a collection of frequently asked questions about the potential limiting rate referendum. This section will be continually updated as new questions come in, keeping our community informed every step of the way.
What happens if the limiting rate referendum is not pursued or not approved?
If additional funding is not pursued or approved, the District would continue operating within existing revenue limits, which could result in:
- Increased overcrowding
- Larger class sizes
- Continued reliance on makeshift space solutions
- Ongoing circulation issues
- Greater pressure on growing programs and student support services
- Challenges in recruiting and retaining quality teachers and staff
Financing Plan
What is a limiting rate referendum?
A limiting rate referendum asks voters to increase the District’s education tax rate above the state‑imposed limit, allowing additional revenue for approved purposes.
What is the proposed size of the limiting rate and the applicable tax impact?
The District is considering a $0.70 limiting rate referendum. With existing long-term debt being paid off by the District this year, the net tax impact would be $0.25. Following is a summary of the tax rate calculation:
Proposed limiting rate: $0.70
Expiring District bonds: ($0.45)
Net change in total tax rate: $0.25
For a home with a fair market value of $277,600, the estimated annual net tax impact would be $211.
Troy 30-C Limiting Rate Referendum Tax Calculator
Why consider a limiting rate referendum instead of a bond referendum?
A limiting rate referendum can address both operating and facility needs, which a bond referendum cannot do. Bond funds can only be used for construction or capital projects, while the limiting rate would provide funding to:
- Construct the new PreK/K Early Learning Center, which will free up space across the elementary schools
- Operate and maintain the new PreK/K facility once it opens
- Maintain small class sizes and protect current programming