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Staff member explains school referendum process and potential state funding
Summary
A staff member described how the board and community developed a school referendum, the district’s capital priorities (HVAC, roofs, parking, turf), and said the district has applied to the state and is awaiting approval and potential funding—up to 40% in some cases.
A staff member at the meeting described the school referendum process the board and community use to identify capital priorities and seek state support. The staff member said outreach included surveys and consultations with architects and engineers to evaluate building needs and determine projects for a possible referendum.
The staff member said the proposed work responds both to enrollment-driven changes and to aging infrastructure. "We have HVAC equipment that's going out of date ... there needs to be a full-scale rejuvenation and replacement of our HVAC," the staff member said, and added that roofs require constant repairs and parking lots need resurfacing. The staff member also named the high school football turf field as an example of a capital item needing replacement.
The staff member explained why the district might use a referendum rather than rely solely on the regular budget: a referendum "frees up additional money," allowing the district to address multiple projects at once. The board has submitted multiple project applications to the state — "as many applications for as many different things as we think we may need" — and is now waiting for the state to notify which projects and what funding levels will be approved.
On potential state support, the staff member noted, "in some cases they can fund some of the projects up to 40% which is significant." The staff member illustrated the effect with a hypothetical: if a $100 million referendum were funded at 40% by the state, local taxpayers would cover the remaining 60% (about $60 million), though the staff member acknowledged securing state funding for every project is unlikely.
Next steps, the staff member said, are to await the state's response on approved applications and funding amounts; those determinations will affect how much local taxpayers would ultimately pay and which projects move forward through the referendum process.
The meeting did not record a formal vote on the referendum during the segments provided.
