Fox Point-Bayside School District voters to decide in November whether to renew $3.1 million operational referendum

Alec Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·2 min read
Stormonth School is part of the Fox Point-Bayside School District, which will present voters with a decision on whether to renew a $3.1 million operational referendum.
Stormonth School is part of the Fox Point-Bayside School District, which will present voters with a decision on whether to renew a $3.1 million operational referendum.

Fox Point-Bayside School District voters will decide Nov. 8 whether to renew a $3.1 million operational referendum.

Voters originally approved a four-year referendum in November 2018 that gave the district an additional $3.1 million per year to help the district maintain programming, class sizes and teacher staffing levels, according to a news release from the district.

If approved, the new referendum would start in the 2023-24 school year and run through the 2026-27 school year, according to the district.

If voters approve it, the replacement referendum would maintain the cost to voters of 79 cents per $1,000 of property value for the referendum. That equates to $316 annually for the owner of a $400,000 home.

If the referendum fails, the district said that starting in the 2023-24 school year, it would not be able to afford current staffing levels, which would affect student programming and services.

Renewing the $3.1 million amount "will help the District remain fiscally stable despite expected increases in future expenses due to rapid inflation, made more concerning by the uncertain funding support from the state," the district said on its website.

"Additionally, by renewing the exact amount from the previous referendum, the district can ensure financial stability during the short-term while also ensuring financial predictability for our residents," the district said.

The operational referendum is separate from a $58.5 million capital referendum approved by voters in April to replace Bayside Middle School and provide upgrades to Stormonth Elementary School.

"The last operating referendum (2019-2023) included funds to upgrade technology infrastructure, and provide for some facility maintenance that will now be funded by the approved capital referendum," the district's website noted. "Because the district is now facing increasing inflation and a tighter job market than it did during the previous referendum cycle, we can focus these funds on affording our current levels of staffing, and maintain our high-quality programs and services for students."

The district is planning the following informational sessions about the proposed operational referendum: 6 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 29 in the gym at Bayside Middle School, 601 E. Ellsworth Lane, Bayside; 9 to 10:30 a.m. Oct. 1 in the gym at Stormonth Elementary School, 7301 N Longacre Rd, Milwaukee; and 6 p.m. Oct. 12 online at bit.ly/FoxPointBaysideReferendum2022.

Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Fox Point-Bayside voters to decide on renewing operational referendum