Voters in the Oconto Falls School District will decide Tuesday whether to support $3.4 million in athletic, maintenance and educational improvements.
The first referendum question, paid with a long-term bond, is a $2.2 million proposal to build a football stadium and track at Oconto Falls High School, re-do parking lots at district buildings, and renovate the parking lot and entrance at Abrams Elementary School.
A second referendum question asks voters for an additional $400,000 each year for three years, beginning with the 2014-15 school year. These additional funds would be spent to repair roofs, to attract and retain quality teachers, and to improve computer access for students.
According to the school district, the financial impact for taxpayers for both referendum questions is $24 per $100,000 of equalized value for the first year and $16 for the second year. The levy stays the same or drops for the next six years, when all the long-term debt is paid off.
The $2.2 million question includes an estimated $1.1 million for a sports complex designed by representatives of Panther Pride, a community organization committed to developing athletic facilities for Oconto Falls students. School officials say seating for football falls short of what’s needed, and the track is in poor condition at Memorial Field, which the district leases from the city.
A second major construction project, estimated to cost $660,000, is proposed at Abrams Elementary School. The district previously purchased the property south of the school where a church stands. The referendum funding would include the demolition of the church, construction of driveways for a safer traffic patterns, parking lot expansion and surface drainage upgrades.
The long-term debt question also includes an estimated $330,000 to improve parking lots at the district’s four schools and the district office.
The second question asks for $275,000 to provide individual laptops for students entering grades 7 and 10, and to continue expanding the program each year until all students in these grades have one-to-one technology.
Another $50,000 is requested to attract and retain quality teachers to give the school district a competitive edge in what Superintendent Dave Polashek calls “today’s free market system” in which teachers with particular certifications are in high demand.
Roof repairs account for the final $75,000. The high school roof is the district’s priority; a spring rain storm damaged books in the school’s library.
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