Batavia USD 101 launches expanded referendum website, stresses transparency ahead of revote

Batavia USD 101 officials on Feb. 21 unveiled a newly organized referendum webpage and information materials aimed at making the district's capital plan easier for voters to understand.

Holly Deachman, the district communications manager, said the site groups content under a prominent "Why it matters" section and includes deeper FAQ-style write-ups covering topics the public has raised, such as how the high-school turf was paid for and whether schools would be decommissioned. "We're not just here to say 'vote yes,'" Deachman said; "we want people to see reasons to vote both ways and make an informed decision." (Holly Deachman, communications manager.)

Administration said the district has identified more than $300 million in facility needs; the referendum on the ballot would address an estimated $100–150 million of those projects, not the full list. Presenters warned that final project scopes will depend on interest rates and construction costs at the time of contracting and that the plan would not tear down buildings before replacing them: "If the referendum passes, we would rebuild the two schools first and then decommission the old buildings," a district presenter said.

Officials also described historical documents and past minutes posted on the site aimed at clarifying long-running questions about booster donations, lighting and past referenda. Tony (district staff) and other presenters walked the board through the site and said the district plans additional photos and video showing facility conditions.

Why it matters: district leaders said the update responds to community confusion after an earlier referendum and is intended to give voters better, school-specific context before the revote. They encouraged residents to use the impact-by-school pages to see anticipated projects and the consequences if the measure fails.

Next steps: administrators said they will continue to add materials and host public-facing events (including school-based information sessions) in the run-up to the vote.