Silver Creek board details $62.9 million proposed projects, schedules town hall to explain tax impact

Superintendent Doctor Briggs told the Silver Creek School Corporation board on April 12 that proposed projects to address overcrowding would cost an estimated $62,856,250 and could be funded through bonds if voters approve a referendum.

Briggs said the package under discussion includes a primary school addition, a new elementary school, middle school reconfiguration, possible field house and preventive maintenance; he added the dollar figure was an estimate and that voters will ultimately decide whether to authorize bonds to pay for any projects.

The proposal matters because three of the district’s four schools are at or over capacity, Briggs said, and the district must decide whether to add physical space now or risk modular classrooms, larger class sizes, program reductions or other outcomes. He and other administrators traced the district’s current capital work to two recent bond issuances—around $60 million in 2021 and about $43 million in 2023—and outlined how those borrowings have affected the local tax rate.

“Total construction soft cost estimated bond totals, dollars $62,856,250,” Briggs said during the presentation. He also reviewed the district’s timeline: bond public hearings in 2021 and 2022, athletic and high‑school project bidding in 2022–23, and the issuance of $43 million in 2023 to continue construction. Briggs said the auditorium reached substantial completion in April 2025 and the high‑school addition and renovation are on track for substantial completion by the end of summer 2025.

Chief business remarks during the presentation noted the district has spent most of its current project budgets: the high‑school project budgeted at about $85 million had expenses reported through February 2025 of $72,460,560.69, with remaining payments and contingencies still to be made. Administrators described efforts to value‑engineer and rebid components to reduce costs, and said the bond package as presented does not have to be issued all at once if voters approve an authorization at the ballot.

On the tax impact, administrators and outside advisors told the audience the referendum language uses a complex formula to report percent changes in overall tax liability; Briggs and business staff encouraged residents to use the district tax calculator on its website to see the estimated household impact. As one example provided during the presentation, a $300,000 home with typical residential deductions would see an illustrative annual increase of about $629 under a 0.384 cent referendum rate change, Briggs said, and told residents that percentage changes vary by assessment and deductions.

The board scheduled a public work session and community town hall for April 17 at the Silver Creek High School auditorium, saying the event would be live streamed and that Stifel (the district’s municipal advisor/policy analytics provider) would attend to answer technical tax and bond questions. Briggs said other consultants may be invited.

Public comment at the meeting included sharply divided viewpoints. Resident John Colburn accused the board and administration of “intentional overcrowding” and fiscal mismanagement and said the referendum would be defeated; the board and administration rejected those assertions and asked for specific examples. Other residents urged the board to weigh the burden on low‑income and fixed‑income households, noting more than 1,000 students in the corporation qualify for free or reduced‑price meals and warning a tax increase could significantly affect vulnerable households.

Board members and administrators emphasised transparency and multiple prior public sessions on construction projects; the board said it has held a series of public meetings and that materials and a tax calculator are available online. Administrators also said the district researched grants and smaller funding sources but that grants typically require matching funds or project specs and are unlikely to cover large building costs without local investment.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to accept emergency additions and revisions to the April 12 agenda (personnel additions and a public work session on April 17): approved, motion carried 5–0. - Motion to approve minutes of the March 11, 2025 regular meeting: approved, motion carried 5–0. - Motion to approve the consent agenda (finances, personnel appointments/resignations/leaves, positions, grants and other routine items): approved, motion carried 5–0. - Motion to adjourn the meeting at 8:19 p.m.: approved, motion carried 5–0.

What’s next

The board will hold the advertised public work session/town hall on April 17 at 7 p.m. in the high‑school auditorium. Briggs said community members may submit questions in advance via an email address that will be posted on the district website; responses the district can’t answer at the town hall will be posted afterward. If voters approve a referendum and the district issues bonds, administrators said the district can phase bond issuances and projects rather than borrow the entire authorized amount at once.

The presentation and supporting documents, including the district tax calculator and the construction budget breakdowns, are posted on the district website.