St. Charles 303 — Pledge to Vote NO on an Estimated $505 Million Property-Tax Hike
If you live in St. Charles 303, people want to make your life more unaffordable. Fight Back!
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Your property taxes are high enough. A sampled property near district headquarters has an estimated total effective property-tax rate of 2.47% of home value, compared with the 0.90% national average—roughly 175% higher. Taxpayers already shoulder a substantial burden without committing to another decades-long debt obligation.
The advertised price leaves out millions in interest. St. Charles 303 is asking to borrow $282.5 million, but that figure excludes the interest taxpayers would also pay. Estimated repayment over 25 years reaches approximately $505 million—including $223 million in interest. About 44 cents of every repayment dollar would go toward financing rather than school improvements. Interest rates have skyrocketed since June: the 30-year AAA municipal benchmark jumped from 4.10% to 5.08%—nearly 24% higher.
Operating taxes have increased every year. District 303 increased its operating property-tax extensions in all ten years from 2016 through 2025, even as older debt was being retired. Operating spending per pupil also increased approximately 44% after inflation between 2000 and 2024. Taxpayers already provide substantially more spending power per student than they did then. The district retains authority to increase property-tax collections annually within legal limits. Voting NO rejects the new bond obligation while existing revenues and annual taxing authority remain available.
Pledge to vote NO. Share this with your neighbors. Request a Vote No yard sign: [email protected].
St. Charles 303 Referendum Facts:
- Borrowing requested: $282.5 million.
- Estimated interest: $223 million.
- Estimated total repayment: $505 million.
- Repayment estimate: This estimate uses the 5.08% rate for 30-year AAA municipal bonds as of September 25, 2026. AAA are the highest credit rating.
- Annual operating-tax increases: Operating extensions increased every year during 2016–2025.
- Additional existing resources: The district identifies $30 million toward its $312.5 million project package, separate from bond repayments.
- Existing taxing authority: PTELL generally permits annual increases in covered tax collections up to inflation or 5%, whichever is lower, plus new-construction revenue, subject to applicable limits.
Paid for by the Prairie State Taxpayer Alliance
Sources: District 303 annual financial reports, levy resolutions, and referendum information; Kane and DuPage County tax-extension reports; ISBE spending data; BLS inflation data; Tax Foundation, Facts & Figures 2026, Table 33; Western Asset’s June 30 and September 29, 2026 Municipal Monitors.