What you need to know about 6 upcoming school referendum votes across Delaware
Editor's note: This story has been updated with new information on Appoquinimink's upcoming April referendum, as the school district issued changes from last December's request.
It's going to be a busy few months of referendum voting for Delawareans.
And schools are saying it's time. Districts across the state are looking to keep up with rising costs of operation, demands of growing student populations, resources to stay competitive and more. These public systems must hold referendums if they want to raise taxes or be able to buy bonds. Some are coming to the polls for the first time in years, while others return to the table after voter rejection just last year.
Voters have passed over half the referendum measures floated in the past decade, election results show. But by December of last year, that approval rate for 2023 was brought down to just 15%.
If reassessments are on the mind: Most districts say they will remain "revenue neutral" after reassessments. Per state law, districts are capped at a 10% provision for additional revenue.
Anyone who lives in the district and is a U.S. citizen 18 or older can cast a ballot. Near the top of the year, Brandywine, Red Clay, Colonial, Smyrna, Cape Henlopen and Appoquinimink schools are hoping to see these voters head to the polls to further support their students and educators.
And it all starts this week.
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Brandywine School District: Feb. 13
Brandywine just wants to keep up with costs.
According to the district, there are no capital projects on deck with this upcoming referendum. The New Castle County district is aiming to cover operating costs, update technology and invest in school safety improvements.
Brandywine is seeking an increase of 45 cents per $100 of assessed value, spread out over two years — 25 cents in year one and 20 cents in year two — in a referendum vote set for Tuesday. The last rate increase approved back in 2016 was only set to last three years.
Today, the system says stakes are high.
Approval is needed "to avoid devastating programmatic cuts and reduction of staff. ... The depth and breadth of the cuts will be felt immediately throughout our schools and community, the impact of which will last for years."
Check on voting times and your nearest polling place on the district's website. Voting will take place during the school day Tuesday.
Red Clay Consolidated School District: Feb. 28
Red Clay hasn't sought a referendum in nearly a decade.
The New Castle County district must hold two requests this month. One hopes to meet local funding requirements to pave the way to over $280 million in support for projects, while another aims to support ongoing operating costs.
The operating referendum will secure funding for daily operations, according to the district, from student support and wellness to instructional materials, salaries and benefits for teachers and more.
A capital referendum will allocate funds to support updates on "key building systems" and resolve "ongoing, serious maintenance problems." This would allow Red Clay to move forward with needed work on some 25 school buildings.
If passed, Red Clay district residents would see a net increase of 50 cents per $100 of assessed value, over three years. Several community meetings are scheduled this month to share more details with voters. The next one is at 6 p.m. Monday at Cab Calloway School of the Arts in Wilmington.
If it fails, Red Clay can try again a few months later. If the capital referendum fails again, state funds will be withdrawn.
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Colonial School District: Feb. 29
Colonial's Leap Day referendum will also carry capital and operations asks.
The district says it's been nearly 20 years since the last major upgrade to its facilities. And the state has approved a $122 million certificate of necessity for maintenance and improvements on all 13 district school buildings.
It's been about seven years since the last operating referendum, and Colonial sees a growing deficit ahead. To avoid programming or staff cuts, the system needed to go to referendum.
Capital side: The state will provide $73.2 million for needed building maintenance and projects, if Colonial voters approve the district providing the remaining 40%, or $48.8 million, to secure that investment. This would mean repairs, updated building security, athletic field improvements and much more across school properties.
Operations ask: Colonial says federal relief funds helped it stretch dollars — but it's time to keep up with needs in teacher recruiting, school safety, academic program innovation, maintaining facilities, updating technology, supporting sports and more.
Colonial is looking to raise 25 cents per $100 of assessed property value in fiscal year 2025, 10 cents in 2026, 5 cents in 2027. If the funding isn't approved, the state will move on to other projects.
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Smyrna School District: March 9
This March, Smyrna School District is asking residents to head to the polls for a current-expense and capital-projects referendum. Both parts relate to just how expensive it's getting to run the system.
One ask is tied to previously approved capital improvements — a new intermediate school, expanding Clayton Intermediate School to Clayton Middle School and expanding North Elementary School — where additional funds are now needed to "match state market pressure."
The district cited inflation impact at about $37 million more than initial estimates for approved projects.
The other request hopes to increase taxes to support the growing general operating expenses of the district. Expenses include:
Recruit and hire constables for every school building
Deliver mental health supports in every school building
Maintain competitive salaries
Enhance student instructional technology materials
Provide extracurricular activities for the new middle school
For the Smyrna district, the average assessed value of a New Castle County property is $47,400 and the average assessed value for Kent County property is $37,300.
On the capital side, the district will be responsible for 23% of costs, the state 77%. The debt service payments will be made over a 20-year cycle, one spokesperson explained, with the amount per average property hovering around $35 for the first five years. The operating ask is seeking to collect 51.70 cents more per $100 of assessed value in New Castle County and an additional 64.97 cents per $100 assessed value in Kent County by July 1, if approved.
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Cape Henlopen School District: March 26
Cape will be the fifth to go to referendum this spring.
Cape Henlopen says it will hold a debt service and operating expense referendum. That's the district seeking a combined 54.9 cent tax increase per $100 of accessed property value, come late March. The last such vote came in 2018, but a 2020 request was postponed by the pandemic.
"Enrollment issues continue to be the main reason more funds are needed," writes the district having ballooned some 59% from 2001 to September 2023. And, the system said, "population studies show that the enrollment will continue to increase significantly over the next 10 years."
Community meetings for more information are already scheduled.
Cape needs to secure new district office space so the high school can complete an expansion, as well as to secure new land for future expansion, a natatorium and a bus maintenance facility.
The district did not get state approval for the Cape Henlopen High School expansion project in 2023, but plans to resubmit this year. It says the school needs additions and renovations, allowing for more classroom space, storage, athletic facility improvements, additional parking and more. Right now, it's over capacity.
On the operating side, the district's main concerns are security needs, growth outpacing revenue, alongside ongoing curriculum, facility maintenance, technology needs and more.
Appoquinimink School District: April 23
Appo is coming back to the drawing board.
Last year, Superintendent Matthew Burrows told Delaware Online/The News Journal that voters’ rejection of referendum measures makes it impossible for the district to keep up with its "rapid" growth. That's about 17% in the last five years.
He explained that the money would have gone to building new schools, improving safety, investing in technology and increasing teacher salaries to improve retention.
And his district gets another shot.
In April, the district will again lay out its two-part request. Details are still being ironed out, the district said Feb. 12. Slightly modified from last year, one ask is operational — looking to keep up growth through teacher recruitment, safety improvements and investment in technology — and the other relates to capital spending, with district leaders hoping to expand facilities that serve students.
Capital projects would include:
A middle school and high school on the Summit Campus — set to open in fall 2028 if plans keep.
An elementary school on Green Giant Road — expected to open by fall 2028
On the operational side:
Educator recruitment and retention
School safety
Operating expenses associated with enrollment growth
Student devices
For these requests, Appo is now seeking an increase of 39.9 cents for every $100 in assessed property value. That's lower than December's 47 cents per $100, and also no longer includes a bus lot project.
Appoquinimink's most recent referendum was in 2021, which funded the rebuilding of Louis L. Redding Middle School. A 2019 referendum included a similar package of a capital component and an operational piece.
Looking back on a failed package last year, Burrows said he'd be remiss if he didn't say it stung — but "these are things that are needed for kids and for staff.”
Got a story? Contact Kelly Powers at kepowers@gannett.com or (231) 622-2191, and follow her on Twitter @kpowers01.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: 2024 Delaware school district referendums: What you need to know
