Scott Williams, swilliams@wolfrivermedia.com
Voters in the Bonduel School District will get another chance to rescue the school district from a budget crunch that has raised the specter of deep cuts in personnel and programs.
The Bonduel School Board agreed Monday to conduct a special referendum Aug. 1 seeking voter approval to raise property taxes by $2.7 million over the next three years.
The referendum is slightly less than a $3 million measure that voters rejected April 4 by a vote of 708-602.
School district officials said they plan to work hard at educating voters about the issues, and they expect to see a more active campaign from boosters anxious to avoid painful budget cuts.
District Administrator Patrick Rau said the prospect of losing teachers and other services seems to have awoken the community.
“I think there’s going to be more of a sense of urgency,” he said.
The proposal to hold another referendum, however, revealed more divisions within the school district.
School board members Dale Bergsbaken and Judy Rank voted against the proposal, and both later declined to say whether they support the Aug. 1 referendum. Bergsbaken represents areas of Angelica, Washington and Green Valley, while Rank represents Cecil.
Board President Jay Krull said he was not concerned about the board’s 5-2 split on whether to hold the referendum. Krull said he believes both Bergsbaken and Rank will support the ballot measure.
“I don’t know why they wouldn’t. They’re supporters of the school,” Krull said.
The referendum will ask voters throughout the school district whether they authorize the district to collect an additional $900,000 in property taxes for the next three years. The measure would cost the owner of a typical $100,000 home about $160 a year — or $3 a week.
The proposal voted down April 4 would have allowed an additional $1 million a year in property taxes.
The district serves about 800 students on a yearly budget of $12.4 million, which includes $4.3 million a year in taxes. Struggling with relatively flat property values and declining student enrollment, the district faces a budget deficit of more than $450,000 next year.
After voters rejected the first referendum, officials imposed budget cuts that included eliminating three teacher positions at the elementary school and cutting back pre-school services. Other potential cuts were shelved as public sentiment emerged for putting another referendum on the ballot as quickly as possible.
Because no other local elections are being held Aug. 1, the referendum will require a special election costing the school district about $11,000 to print ballots, hire poll workers and cover other expenses.
At Monday’s school board meeting, residents gathered informally outside and began making plans to work together to promote the Aug. 1 referendum.
Kris Wondra, a school parent who leads the elementary school PTO, said that while the first referendum suffered from a general lack of awareness about the issues, the resulting budget cuts have heightened public sensitivity toward what is at stake.
“Now everyone in the community is aware,” Wondra said. “So this next referendum, people will be waiting for it.”
If the referendum passes, Rau said, the three eliminated teacher positions at the elementary school will be restored. However, trimming the ballot measure from $3 million to $2.7 million required other belt-tightening measures that will take place regardless of the outcome on Aug. 1.
Rau announced that the district will be restructured to eliminate middle school administration by shifting sixth-grade students into elementary school and shifting seventh- and eighth-graders into high school. The district will hire an elementary school principal, high school principal and dean of students, but eliminate the middle school principal position.
The district also is going ahead with the pre-school cuts and related reductions in school bus transportation, as well as new fees to be collected for fitness center usage and other extracurricular activities.
Krull said he feels encouraged about winning support for the Aug. 1 referendum, especially with so many members of the community stepping forward to help promote the measure. He estimated that 30 people have volunteered to serve in a group pushing the ballot measure.
“There’s a lot of really, really good people here,” he said. “It’s just a matter of getting the word out.”