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Sturgeon Bay board readies Nov. 3 referendum, launches community survey on $3.5M base plan
Summary
Sturgeon Bay School District will ask voters this fall whether to renew a five-year operational referendum; administration plans a community survey with options of $3.5M per year (base) and two add-on questions raising the total to $3.75M or $4.0M. Board set timeline for August resolution and voter question on Nov. 3.
The Sturgeon Bay School District is preparing to ask voters this fall to approve a replacement five-year operational referendum, the board heard Wednesday.
Administration told the board it plans to present a formal resolution at the Aug. 19 meeting to place a referendum question on the Nov. 3, 2026 general-election ballot. Before then the district will distribute a community survey, run by School Perceptions, asking residents whether they support a base package of $3.5 million per year for five years and two optional add-ons: $250,000 more for staff compensation (bringing total to $3.75 million) and a further $250,000 for additional maintenance (bringing total to $4 million).
Why it matters: the operational referendum funds instructional programs and staffing, not capital projects. Superintendent and board members emphasized the difference between an operational referendum (programs and personnel) and a capital referendum (facilities). The current operational referendum, first approved in April 2022, expires June 30, 2027.
Board timeline and outreach: School Perceptions will mail surveys and provide an electronic option; administration set a survey return deadline of July 8 to allow time for analysis. Preliminary results could be ready by the July 15 meeting and a stakeholder focus session is planned for Aug. 5; the board expects final wording and an August 12 review prior to an August 19 resolution.
Administration said the survey uses numerical codes to preserve respondent anonymity and includes household-level safeguards and follow-up reminders. Board members asked about outreach plans; staff said they had emailed families and staff and will deploy notices on social media.
Next steps: the board will review survey results in August, refine ballot wording with legal counsel as needed, and expects to vote on a resolution to place the question on the Nov. 3 ballot at the Aug. 19 meeting.
Provenance: This report is based on the board’s informational discussion about the referendum and the community survey (topicintro SEG 1344; topfinish SEG 1510).
