New Prague Area Schools details $2 million-a-year operating referendum, tax impact and possible cuts if it fails

Superintendent Dr. Andy Valmute told the New Prague Area Schools board on Aug. (presentation date not specified) that the district will ask voters on Nov. 4 to approve a $510-per-pupil operating referendum, about $2 million a year for 10 years, to maintain current programs and positions.

Valmute framed the measure as a maintenance request after roughly $7 million in reductions in recent years. "This request is about maintaining what we have," he said, adding the request includes an inflationary factor and is not intended to add programs.

The district estimates the measure would raise about $2,000,000 per year for 10 years. Using a $400,000 home value as the local benchmark, Valmute said the tax impact would be roughly $20 a month; the presentation includes a tax calculator the district plans to publish on its referendum website around Sept. 1 so voters can estimate their own impact.

Valmute told the board the district is running separate information and advocacy efforts: information teams based in schools to explain the request and its potential impacts, and a community advocacy team of volunteers who can encourage voters one way or another. Early in-person absentee voting is scheduled to begin Sept. 19; Valmute said the district cannot offer mobile voting and will support early voting at district polling locations.

Valmute reviewed prior budget reductions and potential consequences if voters do not approve the referendum: increases in class size at all grade levels, reductions to transportation services (longer bus rides for some students and greater walking distances for in-town students), and loss of positions or programs. He emphasized the district's goal is to avoid those outcomes and to preserve current services.

Board members asked procedural questions about campaign timing and legal options. Valmute said a 2023 legislative provision allowing one-time renewed operating referendums without returning to voters had already been used by the district and is not a recurring option. He also noted neighboring districts are pursuing similar operating requests.

The presentation repeated the district's cost-containment history and emphasized that the referendum is not intended to expand services but to sustain current staffing and programs. Valmute said the district will roll out a website with FAQs and the tax calculator and expects its advocacy team to be active in early September.

Questions and clarifications from board members focused on timeline and community outreach; no formal board vote on the referendum measure occurred during the meeting.

For the record: the district identified the referendum question as an operating referendum of $510 per pupil for 10 years, with November 4 listed as Election Day and early absentee voting beginning Sept. 19.