On Election Day, April 6, 2021, the Howard-Suamico School District will have two referenda questions on the ballot. Visit the referendum website for more information.
On Election Day, April 6, 2021, the Howard-Suamico School District will have two referenda questions on the ballot. The first question reads:
“Shall the Howard-Suamico School District, Brown County, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, for a duration of five years beginning with the 2023-2024 school year and ending with the 2027-2028 school year by an amount of $5,000,000 per year for non-recurring purposes consisting of reducing class sizes, employee compensation, and facility maintenance?”
This question asks our community to continue the support it approved in 2018 but expires at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. Approving this question on April 6th this year will allow the district to continue the strides we have made in reducing class sizes, maintaining employee compensation, and facility maintenance needs through the end of the 2027-28 school year.
The second question is the result of over 18 months of analysis that includes facilities studies and community input from both a community led task force and community surveys. This question reads:
“Shall the Howard-Suamico School District, Brown County, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $98,000,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of a school building improvement project consisting of: renovations including improvements to learning environments, safety and security improvements and construction of additions for new gymnasiums at Bay View Middle School and Forest Glen Elementary School; district-wide capital maintenance and building infrastructure improvements; site improvements; and acquisition of furnishings, fixtures and equipment?”
With the successful passage of this question, the Board of Education will be able to reduce the tax levy rate from the $9.19 amount that has been in place for the past seven years to a new $8.99 rate. This is possible due to strategic and sound fiscal planning over the past several years. One example of this would be the significant savings of interest costs throughout the years by aggressively paying down our debt. Certainly not a new concept, homeowners and business owners have long been employing this strategy as a way to plan for the future.
The district will be providing information regarding these questions in multiple ways. On the district website there is a section dedicated to the referendum. Once on our website, select the Community tab, then select Referendum from the drop-down menu. There is information regarding the proposed projects at each of our schools, information about the Community Task Force, a Q&A section, and a way to contact us with questions. More information will be updated in the coming days and weeks, including informational videos about each question and the tax levy rate. The Board of Education will be holding three community information sessions in March to answer questions in person.
There will also be a virtual community information session created and posted on the website in the coming weeks. And referendum reminders will be arriving in your mailboxes.
Please make the choice to vote in the April 6th election. For additional information regarding this article, contact Teresa Ford, tereford@hssdschools.org.
- Board of Education