Agency official urges voters to flip ballots for two Hartford-area school referendums

An agency official for the Hartford-area school districts urged local voters to "flip the ballot" and consider two school referendums on Nov. 5, including a $25.8 million proposal at Hartford Union High School and a separate ask of just over $8 million for Hartford Joint 1.

The official said the Hartford Union High School referendum would carry an estimated tax impact of about $0.45 for every $1,000 of property valuation and would focus on safety and security, infrastructure, expanded technical-education spaces and urgent repairs to the track and pool. "Our referendum focus on Safety and Security, infrastructure and expanding learning spaces in our teched," the agency official said.

The speaker described the Hartford Joint 1 question as an ask of just over $8 million and said the district is contributing just over $7 million toward what the speaker described as a broader project of about $15 million that includes maintenance across three buildings. The official said the majority of work would take place at Lincoln School, which the speaker identified as the oldest building, and that all three buildings would be impacted.

The official also said that, if approved, the Hartford UHS referendum would not increase the annual school tax mill rate for debt repayment. "There is no tax impact for our referendum, so if that referendum question is approved there would be no increase to the annual tax burden for debt repayment on the school tax mill rate," the speaker said. That claim was presented by the official in the briefing; voters seeking confirmation should consult official referendum documents and local taxing-authority guidance for the exact fiscal mechanics.

The official framed the asks as the result of a local process and cited a district survey reporting roughly 62.5% support for a referendum at about $25 million; the speaker invited voters to confirm whether that reflects community sentiment. The official encouraged residents to check the district Facebook page and website for details, reminded them that early and absentee voting begins Oct. 22, and closed by urging turnout on election day, Nov. 5.

The briefing did not record a formal vote or board action; it was an informational announcement to residents about the upcoming referendums. Several numerical details about the Hartford Joint 1 project were presented in sequence and were not fully itemized in the briefing (for example, the speaker described a roughly $15 million total project figure alongside the stated $8 million ask and $7 million district contribution); those figures are reported here as provided by the official in the briefing.