Auburndale board outlines outreach plan ahead of $4.5 million referendum vote

Auburndale — Board members and administrators spent a large portion of the meeting planning community outreach for an upcoming $4,500,000 referendum, agreeing on a mix of information channels while noting legal limits on formal board advocacy.

The district administrator suggested a package of outreach materials — flyers, message boards, renderings of proposed facility work, and short video snippets showing needs such as 1960s science classrooms, aging HVAC units and a cracked outdoor track — to help voters understand what a yes vote would fund. He recommended a referendum tab on the district website with a living FAQ that could be updated as questions come in.

Board members and the administrator reviewed potential venues for outreach: having informational tables at regional sporting events, pancake feeds, parent‑teacher conferences, village and town meetings, and reaching congregations after Sunday services. The administrator noted board members and community volunteers can form an independent "yes" committee to advocate, but the board itself must stay informational: "We as a board cannot go and promote that… We provide information," one board member said during the discussion.

The group also discussed practical logistics: creating a spreadsheet of volunteers and events, timing outreach to avoid the two final weeks before the vote, and showing visualizations or renderings of proposed construction so residents can see what the projects would look like. The administrator said he would begin producing draft materials and expected to circulate a coordination document to the board that week.

The board confirmed the referendum election date on the agenda: the vote was noted as taking place in early April. The meeting discussion focused on clear, factual messaging about cost, benefits and timelines rather than directed advocacy from district social media platforms.