Potential School Referendum Scaled Down, Pushed Back

A vote to authorize a referendum to fund school improvement projects was taken off the agenda shortly before the Board of Education met Thursday night.

Instead, a scaled-down version of the favored by a citizens' committee will be up for a vote next month. If board members vote to authorize a referendum, a ballot measure will be placed in front of voters Dec. 13. It was previously thought that in order to hold a referendum vote in December, the board would have to authorize it in August. But a check with the district's bond counsel proved otherwise.

Instead of the original 34 projects favored by the committee, which would have cost $116 million, the board whittled down the number of the projects to the point where a total of $19.6 million worth of work will be proposed. Of that amount, taxpayers will fund $11.8 million, with the state picking up $7.9 million through grants.

Details were not provided Thursday night on which specific projects would be included in the revised slate, but district officials said they would release that information publicly next week. The decision to scale down the scope of the potential referendum was made after members of the Community Facilities Committee met with the board's Operations Committee last week, according to Superintendent Walter Hrycenko.

"What the group came out with was a sizable reduction in the proposed referendum," Hrycenko said.

Included in the new referendum will be improvements such as gas piping, domestic water, valves, kitchen hoods and exhaust, hot water connections in bathrooms, replacing plywood ramps, and electrical work, Hrycenko said. The referendum will also include a geothermal energy project at .

The referendum will be discussed at the board's Sept. 7 pre-agenda meeting. A vote is expected at the board's Sept. 15 regular meeting.