Here's what Appleton school district voters need to know about the November referendum
APPLETON - Voters in the Appleton Area School District will see two referendum questions on their Nov. 8 ballot.
The questions include building a new elementary school; increasing science, engineering, technology and math (STEM) education; moving sixth-graders to the middle school; and building additions at three high schools.
Some projects — such as lowering class sizes for kindergarten through second grade and adding new spaces for STEM education — would require added staff.
Here's a closer look at what voters need to know:
What does voting “Yes” mean?
Voting “Yes” to the capital referendum question means you're saying the district can borrow the almost $130 million to complete the proposed construction and renovation projects.
A "yes" vote for the operating referendum question means you're OK with the district exceeding its revenue limit by $5 million each year on a recurring basis. That money is earmarked for school building maintenance, staffing STEM classes and reducing class sizes at kindergarten, first and second grades.
What does voting “No” mean?
Voting “No” means you don’t want the district to borrow the money needed to complete the projects; therefore, saying you don’t want them to move forward with the construction and renovation work.
Similarly, voting “No” to the operating referendum means you don’t want the district to exceed its revenue limit each year.
Can I vote “Yes” on one question and “No” on another?
You don't have to vote the same way on both questions. You can support both of them, just one or neither.
The two questions are independent of each other, a list of frequently asked questions published by the district says. If one doesn’t pass, the FAQ says, the needs surrounding that question would still exist.
Why is the district asking for this referendum?
Enrollment is growing on the north side of the district — prompting the proposal for the new elementary school — and the school district says some older buildings aren’t equipped to meet today’s educational needs and practices.
These needs have existed for a while, the district says, but a referendum was put on hold a couple years ago because of the pandemic.
Why does the district want to build a new school when enrollment in the district overall is decreasing?
The district did lose about 1,100 students — it has more than 15,000 students — over the past few years, but there has been growth on the north side of the district that has pushed Huntley Elementary School over capacity.
The district also saw an uptick in 4K and kindergarten students this school year.
How will this affect my taxes?
The referendum would cost taxpayers $4 per $100,000 or $8 per $200,000 each year for the next 20 years.
More:Appleton school referendum now will cost taxpayers only $4 per $100,000 of property
If it passes, what’s the timeline of the projects?
The middle school additions and renovations would be completed in time for the start of the 2024-25 school year.
Building a new elementary school and renovations, including STEM spaces, would be completed by the start of the 2025-26 school year.
Projects at the high schools would be completed as time permits, but no later than during the 2025-26 school year.
What will the questions on the ballot say?
The first question, which is the capital referendum, says:
Shall the Appleton Area School District, Outagamie, Calumet and Winnebago Counties, Wisconsin be authorized to issue pursuant to Chapter 67 of the Wisconsin Statutes, general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $129,800,000 for the public purpose of paying the cost of a school building and facility improvement project consisting of: district-wide updates to classroom and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) areas, and safety and security improvements; construction of a new elementary school and related site improvements on district-owned land; remodeling and learning space updates at the elementary schools; renovations and construction of additions at the middle schools and the high schools, including for classrooms and high school fitness center and physical education space; and acquisition of furnishings, fixtures and equipment?
The second question, which is the operating referendum, says:
Shall the Appleton Area School District, Outagamie, Calumet and Winnebago Counties, Wisconsin be authorized to exceed the revenue limit specified in Section 121.91, Wisconsin Statutes, by $5,000,000 beginning with the 2023-2024 school year, for recurring purposes consisting of expenses for ongoing school building maintenance, cleaning and utility costs, staffing for STEM classes and reducing class sizes in kindergarten, first and second grades?
Where can I get more information about the referendum?
The district has additional information on the referendum on its website at: www.aasd.k12.wi.us/district/fall_2022_referendum. There are virtual informational sessions at 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 2 and 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 3.
How can I find my polling place?
Go to myvote.wi.gov and click "Find My Polling Place" near the top left. Type in your address and hit the search button. It should show you the name and address of your polling place, its hours on Election Day and a map of where it is.
Reach AnnMarie Hilton at ahilton@gannett.com or 920-370-8045. Follow her on Twitter at @hilton_annmarie.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Appleton Area School District referendum: What voters need to know
