Kaneland outlines multi-year capital plan to maintain 1,000,000+ sq. ft. of school facilities

Kaneland CUSD 302 staff updated the Board of Education on the district's capital improvement planning process and recent fiscal year spending, saying the district must manage more than 1,000,000 square feet of building space and roughly 300 acres of grounds.

The presentation, given by Mark Payton, the district's director of buildings and grounds, laid out an asset inventory and a four-category approach (site work, building envelope, building interiors and building systems) to guide prioritization for fiscal year 2026–27. Payton said principals and building administrators will review the district's asset list in September and October, with an initial board presentation targeted for the first November meeting and a request for board approval at the second November meeting.

The plan's priority criteria are student and staff safety and security; student performance (for example, thermal comfort and lighting); student and staff experience (bathrooms, dining, furnishings); and community experience (playgrounds, parking, landscaping). Payton told the board that the district conducts annual reviews with first responders and 10-year life safety surveys with its architect and engineering firm to coordinate building alarms and emergency procedures.

District staff reviewed FY24–25 capital expenditures. Life-safety and related electrical work and fire alarm updates totaled $913,534, Payton said. The district also completed a track replacement project that included removal and replacement of the track surface and related pavement work; including change orders, that project totaled about $1,300,000. The board previously approved $40,000 for a new driver's education vehicle; Payton said the final purchase price is expected to be substantially less.

For FY25–26, Payton said the district reduced its initial capital ask to align with financial stability and the recently passed referendum. The FY25–26 list included items such as elevator controls, sidewalk work, a walk-in refrigeration unit, a server room air-conditioning unit, minor life-safety work, a digital radio system replacement, classroom furnishings and masonry repairs. He said the district removed planned high‑school furnishings from the immediate ask (about $105,000 of the original $498,000 request) to coordinate purchases with referendum-driven space renovations; the revised ask totaled $393,000.

Board members asked for continued coordination with local fire districts and the sheriff's office on alarm compatibility and noted the district's ongoing desire to increase joint training opportunities. Payton said coordination occurs in annual ROE inspections, drills and other scheduled training with first responders, and that the August planning work will include more outreach.

Payton emphasized that the capital planning process is separate from the referendum implementation process, noting that referendum proceeds will address many identified needs but that ongoing capital needs outside the referendum will continue to be scheduled and prioritized through the annual process.