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Sturgeon Bay board reviews preliminary referendum survey; 3.5M option projects about 60% support
Summary
The Sturgeon Bay School District superintendent told the board that a preliminary School Perceptions survey of 809 responses projects roughly 60% weighted support for a $3.5 million operational referendum; higher and lower asks showed narrower margins and the district will review final results at an Aug. 5 work session.
The Sturgeon Bay School District board on July 13 heard preliminary results from a community survey intended to shape an operational referendum the board plans to place before voters this fall.
Superintendent (Speaker 3) said the consultant, School Perceptions, reported 809 responses as of July 13 and that the firm projects about 60% weighted support for a $3.5 million referendum question. "We had 809 responses," the superintendent said. "They project 60% support" for the $3.5 million scenario, and about 59.4% for a $3.75 million option. A $4.0 million package drew approximately 50.8% support, a result the superintendent described as a "coin flip" because it sits inside the margin of error.
Why it matters: the district's current five‑year operational referendum expires June 30, 2027. The board plans a resolution at its Aug. 19 meeting to place a replacement referendum on the Nov. 3 general election ballot if members choose to proceed. Consultants and staff told the board the survey is intended to guide both the size of the ask and the priority order of spending within the question (for example, staff compensation first, then maintenance) so respondents understand tradeoffs.
Board members asked how respondents interpreted combined dollar amounts and whether separate line items would change support. One board member (Speaker 2) asked whether breaking the ask into discrete sums for compensation versus building maintenance would yield different responses. The superintendent and staff said the board controls final ballot wording and that School Perceptions advised the board to clarify priorities so the survey data better predicts voter preferences.
Business Manager Jake (Speaker 8) and the superintendent reviewed next steps: a School Perceptions presentation and final report at a special board work session scheduled for Aug. 5, a follow‑up session Aug. 12 to work on draft referendum language, and a target of Aug. 19 for a board resolution to place the question on the Nov. 3 ballot.
The presentation included several summary measures from the consultant, including a district satisfaction score of 7.19 (Sturgeon Bay) compared with a 6.56 comparison score from 25 similar districts. The superintendent said the higher satisfaction score and doubled response rate (about 800 vs. a typical 400) give the district useful guidance, but added that final mailed responses and the full consultant report could tighten margins.
Next steps: School Perceptions will deliver a finalized report after all mailed surveys are tallied; the consultant is scheduled to present final results to the board at the Aug. 5 work session. The board plans to consider draft ballot language in August and potentially approve a resolution to send a referendum to voters at the Aug. 19 meeting.
