The Oconto Falls School Board will consider presenting a referendum at the Aug. 12 primary election. Financial projections presented on Monday show a $1.16 million shortfall over the next two years.
“We have more wants than the bank account allows for,” School Board member Bec Kurzynske said.
“We have more wants than the state is allowing us to take care of,” Superintendent David Polashek countered.
Voters overwhelmingly denied additional funding to support Oconto Falls schools in August 2012, rejecting a referendum request to provide $825,000 over three years by a nearly 2-1 margin.
School Board member James Spang said the district may have a better outcome if it decides to present a referendum this year.
“I think the community is starting to realize that a lot of the schools are in a pinch. You look at all the referendums that were on the ballot this last election, and a high percentage of them passed,” he said.
State revenue limits set the amount of money a district can raise through property taxes and receive in aid. For Oconto Falls, an additional $98,000 is projected for the coming school year, far short of what the district estimates it will need to cover costs.
Those costs include new language arts textbooks for kindergarten to grade 12, estimated at $210,000; expanding its one-to-one technology initiative to provide personal laptops for sophomores, plus other technology upgrades, $433,940; and a telephone system update, $57,000.
Personnel costs are expected to increase $343,300, factoring in a 1.46 percent increase in salaries and fringe benefits, and slight increases for health and dental insurance and long-term care.
The School Board has made cost-cutting changes in recent years, such as closing Spruce School and dropping driver’s education, and Polashek said more changes might be considered.
“Where do we go?” School Board member Jan Stranz asked. “There aren’t that many things (to trim), and we don’t have overpaid teachers. It’s getting to the point where we’ll have to be extremely creative.”
The School Board must decide by June 3 if it wants to place a referendum question on the Aug. 12 ballot, and once the outcome is known, a budget can be prepared and approved by the end of October.
Polashek said he will create a list of items to consider for a referendum, which would include roofing and blacktopping needs, plus an expanded parking lot at Abrams School.
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