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Board debates referendum ballot language, oversight and timelines
Summary
At the Nov. 11 workshop trustees reviewed IROC's role, confirmed a January fundraising start for the referendum campaign, and debated consultant‑draft ballot language; members asked for polling results and agreed to revisit language in December before finalizing outreach.
Board members spent a substantial portion of the Nov. 11 workshop discussing oversight and language for an upcoming referendum and the related outreach timetable.
An IROC representative (speaker 4), who said he has served since the committee's inception, affirmed the committee's focus on investing in student programs and on accountability for how referendum dollars are spent. Referendum committee members (speaker 7) told trustees the committee will begin fundraising in January, focus on school events and SAC meetings in the spring, and fine‑tune outreach once ballot language is finalized.
Board discussion centered on consultant‑draft ballot wording that research firms had recommended based on polling. Some trustees favored the district's 2022 language because it has worked previously; others preferred a "clean" version that explicitly references charter schools and workforce/technical training as a means of broadening support. "I prefer McKinley's recommendation clean version because it includes language directly regarding our charter schools," said Vice Chair (speaker 2). By contrast, another trustee (speaker 12) said opening the text with "increasing teacher and staff pay" could be politically sensitive and suggested wording such as "recruit and retain highly effective teachers and staff" instead.
Members requested the consultant's polling results and agreed to send the draft language to the Yes for Success committee for review. The board set a timeline to bring refined wording back in December so communications and fundraising plans can proceed from a finalized text.
No final ballot language or vote occurred at the workshop. Staff and board members agreed the language must be vetted by McKinley (consultant) and legal review before district outreach begins.
