‘Third time’s the charm’: Freeman School District capital levy headed toward passage after two failed attempts

A twice-failed tax levy intended to pay for security and technology in the Freeman School District appeared headed toward passage Wednesday.

Voters in the small school district serving 890 students on one three-school campus outside Rockford gave the property tax levy 51.8% approval, election night results indicate, encouraging a grateful Superintendent Randy Russell. Only a simple majority is needed for the levy to pass.

“We’re very thankful for the Freeman community members. They stepped up big time,” Russell said, describing the district’s “grassroots” campaign that included listening to voters and the support of parents, staff unions and student groups.

The levy would tax property owners at an estimated rate of $1.20 per thousand in assessed property value, collecting $3.2 million over the measure’s two-year span. That money will go towards building maintenance, Chromebook replacements and security cameras: areas that the district either couldn’t afford to pay for this school year without a levy or dipped into their general fund to cover.

Twice in 2024, in April and February special elections, the district put forth slightly more expensive levies at an estimated tax rate of $1.25 per thousand. Each failed, leaving a funding gap in the district’s capital budget from January 2025 to tax season of 2026, when the district would collect under this levy.

In some areas, the district dipped into the general fund to cover capital expenses that would have otherwise been paid for through levy funding. The district had to forgo purchasing updated curricula this year, Russell said.

Some things, the district couldn’t pay to replace, like the 800 Chromebooks that came to the end of their lifespan and a number of security cameras around the schools.

“We’ve had to have places on campus without updated or replaced cameras,” Russell said. “The levy will help us pay for that in the future.”

Pending election certification later this month, the district would start using its levy dollars in the summer of 2026, Russell said. He emphasized his appreciation to voters, grateful to not relive the “hurt” of two consecutive failures and budget shifting.

“We’re resilient in Freeman,” Russell said. “There’s a lot of people in Freeman that love the Freeman School District, and they know that the district is the center of the community, and they want to make sure we have the resources and support to operate the school in a way that’s safe for everybody.”