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Smyrna superintendent seeks voter approval March 9 for school construction, safety and mental-health funding
Summary
Smyrna School District Superintendent Susan Brown asked voters to approve a March 9, 2024 capital and operating referendum to match state funding and advance three construction projects, add school-based constables and mental-health supports, and maintain staff pay and technology investments.
Susan Brown, superintendent of the Smyrna School District, urged community support for a combined capital and operating referendum set for March 9, 2024, saying rising costs have hampered the district's ability to complete projects approved under a 2021 referendum.
Brown said the school board has reviewed and approved a referendum package designed to match state funding and advance three major construction projects: a new intermediate school on Rabbit Chase Road, the conversion of Clayton Intermediate School into Clayton Middle School, and an expansion of North Elementary. “Your support in the 2024 referendum will not only match state funding, but will also continue to propel 3 vital projects forward,” she said.
The superintendent framed the referendum as more than building improvements. She said the proposal would enable the district to recruit and hire constables in every school building, provide mental-health support in each school, maintain competitive salaries for staff and enhance instructional technology. “We aim to recruit and hire constables in every school building, deliver crucial mental health support in every school building, maintain competitive salaries for our dedicated staff, and enhance our cutting edge instructional technology,” Brown said.
Brown described the 2024 measure as fiscally responsible and tied to earlier voter authorization, noting that the district passed a referendum in 2021 that laid the groundwork for these plans. She told listeners that the referendum is intended to match available state funding and allow the district to realize projects that higher costs have made difficult to complete as originally envisioned.
The superintendent also highlighted programmatic benefits, saying the new middle school would support a broader extracurricular program for students. She closed by asking residents to vote on March 9 and to follow the district’s website and Facebook page for updates: “On March 9, let your vote be the voice that resonates through the halls of our schools,” she said.
No formal vote or board action on the 2024 referendum was recorded in this presentation; Brown presented the proposal and requested public support. Specific dollar amounts, detailed budget breakdowns, and the exact ballot language were not specified in the remarks and were described as part of the board-approved referendum package.
