Bonduel parents fear school cuts

Bonduel School District leaders stepped up their efforts Tuesday to build support for an April 4 referendum aimed at restoring financial stability to the school district.

District Administrator Patrick Rau and others hosted a public meeting at Bonduel Elementary School for taxpayers and residents to learn more about the $3 million ballot initiative.

Many in attendance voiced support for the referendum seeking approval for the school district to raise additional revenue for the purpose of avoiding staff reductions and other painful cuts.

“You’ve got to have good schools,” taxpayer and parent Jeff Dendler said. “I hope people realize what is happening. We can’t cut any more.”

The measure going before voters throughout the district April 4 would, if approved, authorize the school district to raise an additional $1 million annually for three years through property taxes to fund staffing in the district, protect programs and preserve facilities.

Rau told the crowd at Tuesday’s gathering that the referendum is not designed for expansion of anything, but rather to avoid loss of staff and services in the face of flat property values and declining enrollment.

”We are asking to maintain what we are doing,” he said.

The district has 827 students and operates a high school, middle school and elementary school on a yearly budget of $12.4 million, which includes $4.3 million in property taxes.

Under Wisconsin’s public school funding limits, school districts must seek voter approval to exceed tax caps imposed by the state.

If the referendum passes, property tax collections for Bonduel schools could increase to $5.3 million annually for the next three years. For the owner of a typical $100,000 property, school taxes would increase by about $180 a year.

Roger Pludeman, a resident at Tuesday’s meeting, said his children already have finished school and he now lives on Social Security benefits. Pludeman voiced uncertainty about the referendum, while acknowledging that the school district performs an important public service.

”It’s going to be rough,” he said. “Kids need an education.”

If the April 4 measure is defeated, school administrators have projected that a budget deficit of $400,000 next year would force deep spending cuts. Without new revenue, the deficit could surpass $1 million within three years.

The district has 97 full-time employees and 16 part-time employees.

Kris Wondra, a school counselor who also has four children in the district, said she hopes parents and others in the district turn out April 4 to show support for making a needed investment in the school system.

“My kids are getting a great education here,” Wondra said. “I don’t want things cut for my kids.”

Although administrators have not detailed what cuts would occur if the ballot initiative fails, Rau said the budget deficits that are forecast could mean such adjustments as fewer course offerings at the high school and larger class sizes at the elementary school level.

It was the second such public informational meeting since the school board decided to place the referendum on the ballot.

Before the board’s decision, the district conducted a community survey and asked residents to rate their support for options that included the grim prospect of dissolving the school district rather than raising taxes. The survey found support for referendums of various sizes, with little support for dissolving the district.

Rau said in an interview Tuesday that he is cautiously optimistic voters in the district have gotten the message about the importance of improving the district’s financial situation.

The administrator and others boosters have met with local groups to promote the referendum, and a mass mailing is in the works before April 4. Rau said he has encountered many questions about the ballot measure, but no sign of widespread opposition.

“I feel good,” he said. “For the most part, it’s been productive and positive.”