District 304 School Board members are considering placing a referendum question on the fall or spring ballot authorizing the construction of two elementary schools and refurbishing existing facilities for $77 million, which is phase one of the master-facility plan adopted last month.
The current options are the Nov. 7 or the April 3 elections. To place a question on the November ballot, the resolution must be adopted by Sept. 1.
Board member Susan Shivers said, “The community will support a referendum when they believe a need is there. I am not looking to have a referendum in November and then see where we are in 2007.”
Assistant Supt. for Finance Rebecca Allard urged the board to act promptly on the referendum question. “I think there is momentum in the community now to support the plan, and I don’t want to miss that opportunity,” she said
Board member Bill Wilson emphasized the need for transparency and providing voters with exactly what the proposal will cost homeowners.
Several other board members agreed that November was too early to gather all the required information and inform the public of the need, especially in view of the newness of Supt. Kent Mutchler, who recently replaced Supt. Michael Jacoby.
Board President Dean Kilburg said, “Let’s gather the information the board has asked for over the next month or two, refine it and get a good understanding of every element of phase one [of the facilities plan]. Then we can move forward with a referendum question next spring. I think too short a time frame hurts our chances of success.”
The board will also continue to monitor elementary school enrollment changes before deciding whether additional staff will be needed for this fall. Also considered at Monday’s meeting was plan to allow home-schooled students to participate in extracurricular activities if they meet eligibility requirements for the activity.
