Pared referendum request may hit Nov. 8 ballot

PULASKI NEWS
For more than a year, the Pulaski Community School District has studied its facilities, programs and staffing to plan for a future that includes increasing enrollment, particularly on the eastern side of the district.

At its Aug. 3 meeting, the Board of Education recapped the process thus far, and set the stage for possibly approving the addition of an operating and a capital referendum on the Nov. 8 ballot when it meets again Aug. 17.

An initial project was brought forth last winter and was fine-tuned this summer after listening to the community through a survey and in listening sessions, among other feedback.

The current plan is split into two items:

A facilities plan which includes:

• Hillcrest Elementary addition/renovation and updates, $29,415,600

• Sunnyside Elementary addition/renovation and updates, $26,915,500

An option to build additional new classrooms and vacate the basement would add $1.5 million to $2 million.

• Pulaski Community Middle School updates, $2,904,900

• Pulaski High School technical education addition/renovation and updates, $6,520,500

• Fairview Elementary site updates, $659,000

• Lannoye Elementary site updates, $1,773,600

• Glenbrook Elementary updates, $1,610,900

An operations plan that would raise $8.5 million over five years to:

• Help the district increase compensation and benefits to be comparable to surrounding districts to keep attracting and retaining high-quality teachers and staff.

• Pay salaries of additional staff to support additional learning spaces.

• Pay operational costs of additional learning spaces.

In November 2021, MD Roffers presented a demographics study to the board that details an increase in resident 4K-12 students projected from 2021 to 2035.

Significant projected enrollment increases are expected:

• At the expanding south edge of the village of Pulaski;

• In neighborhoods in the towns of Chase and Little Suamico; and

• Near North Overland Road in Hobart.

Already, increasing enrollment at Hillcrest Elementary has necessitated using closets and storage areas for offices and classroom space.

Music classes were taught in the gym last school year with the music teacher’s office being located in a locker room also used as a storage area.

Portable classrooms are being constructed at Hillcrest, which will help in the short term, however, the village of Hobart has only approved their use for five years.

PCSD Director of Business Services Mark Logan said that a referendum to fund construction is needed; otherwise, the district would be forced to meet the need caused by growing enrollment by:

• Increasing class sizes;

• Rezoning students to other district schools away from their neighborhoods; and

• Not allowing inter-district moves.

“The need is not going away,” Logan said.

Michael Voelker, board vice president, said it is a binary choice for voters.

“Do you want kids going to class in classrooms or closets?” Voelker asked.

Pulaski, being a low-spending, low-revenue district, has been fiscally responsible, Voelker said, adding that in surrounding districts, voters have approved pay raises for teachers through operational referendums.

The PCSD has not, to date, asked voters to approve additional funds for teacher salaries through an operational referendum, but must do so now to be competitive with those other districts.

Aly Tress, Human Resources director, said the passage of an operational referendum to increase teacher pay would help the district attract and retain quality personnel.

“We value our staff, and we want to be able to offer high-quality education to students in the community,” she said.

“It’s another binary choice as I see it,” Voelker said, adding voters will be choosing between paying and retaining good quality teachers or having them leave to go to other districts where they can make substantially more money.

The district has lowered the mill rate from $9.83 per $1,000 assessed value in the 2013-14 school year to $6.32 per $1.000 assessed value in the 2021-22 school year.

If voters approve both an operational and a capital referendum to fund the recommended base plan, the projected tax mill rate would be $8.18, which is lower than the rate in the 2019-2020 school year thanks in part to increasing property values.

The maximum tax impact over the 2021-22 mill rate would be $1.28 per $1,000 for the facilities projects and an average of 55 cents per $1,000 for the operational piece.

Should the district go forward with the referendum, more community meetings will be planned to provide additional information and answer questions.

To see more in-depth information about the projects, go to: www.pulaskischools.org/business/facilities-projects.

TIMELINE
Nov. 10, 2021: Board of Education receives “wish list” facilities report from Bray Associates and a demographics study from MD Roffers.

November/December 2021: Board and administration study reports, prioritize building project items to meet current and future needs.

January 2022: An initial plan is presented to the Board of Education.

March 2022: Listening sessions are held at Hillcrest Elementary, PHS and Sunnyside Elementary.

May 2022: With the help of School Perceptions, a community survey is sent to district residents/PCSD staff to collect community input: 1,900 community members/PCSD staff members participate.

June 2022: After studying results of the community survey, the board asks district administration and Bray Architects to pare down the proposed plan. A revised plan with several millions in reductions is brought forth in July.

July 2022: Listening sessions are held at Hillcrest Elementary, PHS and Sunnyside Elementary. Portable classroom construction begins at Hillcrest Elementary.

Aug. 17, 2022: The Board of Education is slated to discuss whether to schedule a school referendum on Nov. 8 and, if so, the exact verbiage on the two referendum questions.

Future months: Possible community meetings/additional listening sessions.

Nov. 8, 2022: Potential referendum date.

Referendum options
In November, the district is looking at two potential referendum options:

An operating referendum asks permission from voters for the district to exceed the state-imposed revenue cap to generate funds for operating purposes. Operating referendums may be one-time (non-recurring) or recurring (annually for a set dollar amount.)

A capital referendum is a one-time referendum that asks voters for permission to add to the district debt in order to pay for facility projects such as additions at growing elementary schools and infrastructure upkeep at existing facilities.