Superintendent Chris Spencer informed the Board of Education of the Grundy County Board of Review’s decision to make no adjustment in the equalized assessed value of the GE-Hitachi Spent Nuclear Fuel Plant in Goose Lake Township.
As it has for the past few years, the Board of Education and several other local taxing districts have filed an assessment complaint with the Board of Review seeking a higher valuation of the facility—the only permanent high-level radioactive waste storage site in the nation. The facility’s deep water pools hold 3,217 fuel assemblies, that’s 773 metric tons or 1.7 million pounds of spent nuclear fuel. The majority of that was shipped to the facility from nuclear generating facilities located in California, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Nebraska, as well as some from the neighboring Dresden Nuclear Generating Station.
The value assigned by the Board of Review is $6.13 million. The School District and the six other taxing districts that receive property taxes from the site believe the value is significantly higher.
When preparing its annual tax levy, the School District accounted for an increase in the value of the facility in order to gain any additional tax that would be realized by an adjustment by the Board of Review. Since the value has been kept the same this will cause the levy extension to drop to the trigger amount.
“The levy extension will go from an estimated 20 percent to around 12 percent. The tax rate should drop another .5 percent for the third year in a row to around $3.37,” Spenser said.
In other matters from the Board’s March 5 meeting:
- Three bids were received for mechanical projects at Coal City High School. At its meeting, the Board approved awarding the work to Construction Solutions of Illinois at a cost of $232,723, a figure that includes a $20,000 contingency. Additionally, the Board approved purchasing the necessary equipment for the project through Trace Co-Op. The work will be completed during the summer break.
- Raymond James & Associates will complete a required continuing disclosure report for the district. The cost of the service is $1,500.
- Board members approved updating the Facilities Assessment Plan with district architect Cordogan & Clark. The last update was in 2018.
- A contract addendum with Performance Services related to repairs at Coal City Intermediate School was approved by the Board.
- The Board approved entering into a three year agreement with FinalSite for the district’s website and mass communications.
- A $91 donation was received from Trotter Farms and will be put towards the district’s lunch program.
- The Board accepted a $1,010 donation from Constellation. The funds will go towards the purchase of equipment for the new Motion and Graphic Design course at the high school.
- A school site donation in the amount of $2,456.15 has been received and accepted from Grundy County.
- A Library Media Grant from the Illinois Secretary of State was accepted in the amount of $1,644.33. The grant was applied for by Allison Peterson, high school librarian, to support the school’s library media program.
- At the recommendation of Luke Krippel, the district’s Director of Student Services, the district will continue physical therapy services for one year with Sprout Educational Services.
- Resignations were accepted from Mikayla Lange, special education teacher at the middle school, effective May 29 and Kenneth Litchfield, early childhood center custodian, effective Feb 6.
- Employment was approved for Madilyn Barajas, early childhood center custodian, effective Feb. 26; Emily Cloe, one-on-one special education aide at the early childhood center, effective Feb. 17, and Brian Elms, district custodian effective Feb. 26.
- Certified staff employed for the 2025-2026 school year are Brianne Clavenna, kindergarten teacher; Hannah Shirkey, preschool teacher, and Nicole Zralka, fine arts teacher at the high school.
- Board members accepted the extra curricular resignations of Chad Larson, middle school boys basketball coach; Joel Micetich, assistant high school varsity girls basketball coach, and Emily Halliday Trafton, sophomore volleyball and girls basketball coach.
- At the recommendation of high school athletic director Brad Boresi, the board approved coaching assignments for Ashton Harvey and Nolan Berger, freshman boys baseball, and Brad Schmitt, assistant varsity girls softball. Volunteer coaching approvals for Shawn Hamilton, track and field and Justin Hayse, boys tennis.
- Middle school athletic director Rodney Monbrum recommended and the board approved Valarie Clark as a middle school track coach.
- As it does each year, the Board approved honorable staff dismissals effective at the close of the school year for three permanent substitutes, part-time teaching position and 27 aide positions.
- Student enrollment at the end of February was 2,172.
The next meeting of the Board of Education is scheduled for Wednesday, April 2. A study session is slated for Wednesday, March 26. Both meetings begin at 6 p.m. in the District Administration Center Board Room.