Bonduel voters reject school measure again

For the second time in four months, voters in the Bonduel School District said “no” Tuesday to a referendum aimed at rescuing the public school system from a difficult budget crunch.

In a special referendum called in the hope of reversing the earlier defeat, voters again rejected the school district’s request for an extra $2.7 million over the next three years by a vote of 1,004-851.

A similar measure in April was defeated by a vote of 708-602.

Bonduel school administrators had warned that the district and its 800 students would face potentially painful budget cuts if the voters rejected the new ballot measure.

District Administrator Patrick Rau extended thanks Tuesday to those in the community who turned out to vote and those who participated in discussions the past couple of months about the district’s financial issues.

“The residents have spoken and are choosing to spend within the state revenue limit,” Rau said. “The board and administration will continue to provide the best learning environment possible for the students that is possible within those limits, just as we have in the past.”

The referendum would have allowed the district to exceed state tax limits and collect an additional $900,000 in property taxes annually for the next three years to protect staffing levels and classroom operations. Officials calculated that the initiative would have cost the owner of a typical $100,000 house about $162 a year extra in taxes.

Voters turning out at the polls Tuesday expressed strong feelings on both sides of the issue.

Jan Ramseth, of Cecil, said she has a grandson going into sixth grade this year, and she supported the referendum because she does not want his education to suffer because of financial problems in the school district.

“None of us like tax increases,” she said. “But we need to educate our children.”

David Holmes, of Bonduel, said he opposed the referendum because he believes spending is out of control in the school system. Holmes said he does not see the logic in wanting to hire more teachers when student enrollment has been declining.

“It’s just getting to be too much,” he said.

Of the nine different municipalities where voting took place within the school district, only the village of Bonduel registered a majority of votes in support of the referendum.

The district serves about 800 students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade on a yearly budget of $12.4 million, which includes $4.3 million in property taxes. With declining enrollment and dwindling state aid, the district is confronting a budget deficit that is projected to surpass $400,000 next year and then worsen in future years.

Voters in April rejected a proposal to boost property taxes by up to $1 million annually for the next three years. When school administrators responded with belt-tightening plans, however, parents and others spoke out in favor of trying another referendum to stave off the budget axe.

District officials cautioned that if the second referendum failed, the resulting budget deficit would require the district to consider drastic budget cuts, possibly including academic programs, extracurricular activities and perhaps even a school week shortened to four days.

If the measure was approved, officials said, they could avoid such cuts and could move to restore three teaching positions at the elementary school, plus a teaching position at the high school level.

Parents, teachers and others in the community formed a group called the Bonduel Area Action Committee and spent weeks promoting the referendum. Volunteers went door to door, distributed yard signs, and decorated a float in holiday parades to drum up support.

The group issued statement Tuesday expressing concern for what the future now holds in the school district.

“The Bonduel Area Action Committee accepts the voting results,” the statement said. “We are concerned about upcoming cuts that need to be made, but we know that our administration, staff and families will band together to do our best with the landscape we must navigate in the future.”

Although there was no sign of organized opposition leading up to the referendum, someone anonymously mailed literature to households last week encouraging “no” votes.

Voter Suzanne Hutter, of Bonduel, said she disregarded the anonymous mailing and voted “yes” because she values the school district’s role in the community and wants to maintain quality facilities and programs.

“We need to do whatever is best for our children,” Hutter said.

Rebecca Bonnin, of Cecil, however, said she opposed the referendum because she believes schools have lost sight of teaching fundamentals and instead are spending money frivolously. Bonnin noted that she herself had to teach a 12-year-old granddaughter how to write cursive.

“They’re not teaching kids the basics,” she said. “I think they’re putting too much money in things that don’t matter.”