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Consultant outlines referendum options as district faces multi‑year funding gap
Summary
A Baird consultant told the Adams‑Friendship Area School District board that the district’s $3,000,000 operational referendum will retire and offered $2.5M and $3M replacement scenarios, showing a possible multi‑million‑dollar deficit if the community does not approve a replacement; staff also recommended setting $500,000 aside for capital work in Fund 46.
Devin Brunette, a consultant introduced by the district’s business manager, told the Adams‑Friendship Area School District board that the current $3,000,000 nonrecurring operational referendum is retiring and the board must decide whether to replace it and, if so, at what level and for how long.
“Tonight’s objective and goal is referendum,” Brunette said, and he walked the board through a forecast model showing the effect of the retiring referendum on future surpluses and deficits. Brunette said the district and many others are “about $3,500 per pupil behind” where state indexing would have put them, and that operational referenda have become a common tool to fill that gap.
The presentation included two sample paths: a $2,500,000 operational ask and a flat $3,000,000 ask. Brunette cautioned that the farther the board looks into the future, the more assumptions affect the result — student counts, health‑insurance costs, and maintenance needs — and said the model showed a possible increase in deficits (in one scenario approaching roughly $4,000,000 in later years) if the current referendum is not replaced.
Alec, the district’s business manager, and district administrators emphasized the practical tradeoffs. Staff recommended a cautious approach to near‑term spending and proposed depositing $500,000 into Fund 46 to help plan for long‑term facility needs; administrators noted the deposit is restricted and cannot be accessed until June 2029.
Board members pressed on the components that drive local taxpayer impact, including property wealth per pupil and state aid: staff explained that because the district is relatively property‑wealthy per member, state aid adjustments can shift more of the levy burden locally. Brunette noted that the board must adopt and certify a referendum resolution well in advance of the targeted election date; staff flagged an August certification deadline if the board wants a measure on the November ballot.
What happens next: staff said these scenarios are information‑gathering and the board will return to the question later this summer and fall with a narrowed set of options (amount, duration, and election timing) if it decides to pursue a referendum.
