Elgin Area School District U-46 U-46, the second largest school district in Illinois, had not developed a facility master plan in over a decade.
With declining enrollment, aging buildings, and changing student needs, the district needed to find solutions to improve its facilities. Creative Entourage helped U-46 turn to the community for solutions through a comprehensive community engagement program and community survey.
The community engagement process, Unite U-46, brought together over 650 community members to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the district’s 57 schools. The input from these community engagement sessions was supplemented by data from a 300-sample telephone survey and an electronic survey of more than 2,000 residents.
In December 2022, the Board of Education accepted the community’s recommendations and placed a $179 million bond issue on the April 2023 ballot. The measure passed with 63% yes votes.
In Kane and DuPage Counties it was the only successful school proposal in April 2023 and it passed with the highest margin amongst school proposals in Cook County.
Services Provided:
- Community Engagement
- Communications
- Graphic Design
- Public Opinion Research
- Referendum Assistance