Campaign launched for Bonduel schools

There will be a new entry this year in the Fourth of July parade in Bonduel: the Bonduel Area Action Committee.

The group is organizing to promote support for the Bonduel School District’s referendum Aug. 1 seeking an extra financial boost for the ailing school system.

Known as “Bonduel Action” for short, the group has brought together parents, teachers and homeowners, some of whom have never been politically active before.

Although the referendum vote is still more than two months away, members of Bonduel Action already are working to assemble a campaign that they say could decide the school district’s future.

Nicole Onesti, a mother of three students, said she fears that families will leave the district in large numbers if continuing financial woes force painful budget cuts in personnel and programs within the K-12 school system.

Yard signs, brochures and other tools are under consideration to reach thousands of residents before the Aug. 1 referendum, Onesti said.

“We will do whatever we can,” she said. “If this doesn’t pass, the district is in serious trouble.”

The school district is asking voters to authorize a property tax increase of $900,000 annually for the next three years to fund ongoing operational costs in the schools.

With 800 students, the district operates on an annual budget of $12.4 million, which includes $4.3 million in property taxes. A growing budget deficit, however, has prompted discussion of potential spending cuts that include elementary school teachers, athletic programs and student lunches.

Voters in an April 4 referendum rejected an earlier proposal to boost property taxes by $1 million annually for the next three years. The measure failed by a 708-602 vote.

When school administrators began imposing budget cuts after the defeat, parents, teachers and others spoke out forcefully in favor of conducting another referendum to stave off the budget axe. There has been no sign yet of organized opposition to the Aug. 1 ballot measure, although boosters know that they face an uphill battle to turn a majority of voters in favor of giving the schools more money.

Bonduel Village Board member Shawn Thorne, another member of Bonduel Action, said he hopes the school district presents a more complete picture of its finances, as well as a forecast that looks further into the future than just three years. Without a plan for stability after the referendum, Thorne said, public support could be tough to come by.

“People want similar to what I want — some forward direction,” he said.

The referendum campaign group held its first organizational meeting last week, and another meeting is planned May 21. Volunteers hope to find ways of promoting support for the school district at area businesses, public events and on social media websites.

The group also is planning to decorate a float for the Fourth of July parade.

Parent Julie Felhofer said it is her first foray into the political arena, but she feels strongly about protecting the school district from budget cuts.

As a mother of two children, Felhofer said she has been impressed by the quality of schools available to her kids in Bonduel. Hearing administrators talk about cutting teachers and more after the April 4 referendum prodded her to get involved.

Felhofer is prepared to visit local businesses, distribute literature and answer questions to ensure that voters understand that another defeat on Aug. 1 could hurt the school system.

“Hopefully it’ll open people’s eyes,” she said.

Another group member, Angie Cornette, said she, too, is new to politics.

Cornette, who has three kids in the school district, was stunned to see the April 4 referendum defeated. She suspects voters either were apathetic or were misinformed about the seriousness of the school system’s financial crisis.

Cornette said she is ready to do her part this time to promote greater awareness of what is at stake.

“I always support the schools,” she said. “The kids deserve everything that we can give them.”