Posted 8/15/01 Post-referendum random survey results are discouraging for North Branch School Board ó Post-referendum random survey results are discouraging for North Branch School Board ó Superintendent: ëSome of our worst fears came true.í By Jason Sileo Results of a post-referendum survey released last week by the North Branch School District indicate just 36 percent of those eligible voters with children in the schools cast ballots in the May building bond and technology referendum. This is one of a number of what could be called discouraging findings of the survey, conducted randomly across 300 eligible voters in the district. During the public talks and a subsequent interview, school district Superintendent Dr. Robert Stepaniak addressed some of the concerns district officials have as they meet the issue of a building space crisis head on. ìSome of our worst fears came true,î the superintendent said. ìThatís about all we have to say.î ìThe survey had some surprises, particularly in the area of the lack of parental support for the question,î Stepaniak said. ìIt also had some things that donít surprise us: namely things that the number one reason people would vote ënoí would be the tax increase.î ìWe know that the majority of the people who studied the issue said that they voted ënoí because the tax costs outweighed the space needsî of the district, he said. The survey results indicate that about 34 percent of those polled said they ìliked nothingî about the proposal for a new building. According to the district, ìThese voters did not care what the needs of the district wereî and would vote ënoí regardless of what information the school district provided. Stepaniak said the 34 percent figure was a little higher than what he had expected: norms for that figure of out-of-hand detractors usually rests between 20 and 25 percent of all voters, he said. About 45 percent of North Branchís 10,000 or so eligible voters cast ballots in May. ìThirty-four percent of our voters rejected our proposal out-of-hand,î Stepaniak explained. ìIn other words, they did not care about a need, they were going to vote ënoí regardless of any information we could give them.î ìYou can see there are a significant number of people who, to put it bluntly, donít care what the needs are in the school district,î he said. ìThatís the obstacle that we need to overcome.î Clearly what bothered board members the most was the lack of parental support, or the surplus of voter apathy, as indicated by the survey. ìIím disappointed in the number of parents who voted,î board member Rick Olseen said. ìIím shocked,î board member Donna Setter added. ìI truly am. Iím sorry, but if your childrenís education is important to you ó even if youíre opposed to [building] ó I think you should get out there and vote. I just think parents have a responsibility to their children.î ìOnly 36 percent of the parents voted, period,î Stepaniak said. ìSo there are two parts to that that were troubling: one is, we have a low interest and involvement from our parents; secondly, of those who did take the time to vote, the percentage of those who were in favor of the proposals was lower than we would have needed to pass the referendum.î The mail-in ballot was also another shortcoming in the referendum effort, Stepaniak said. Though the format was that which was required by the state, Stepaniak said the ballot format was a distinct handicap for the district. According to the survey, 32 percent of those polled viewed the ballot ìas giving the school district an unfair advantage in the election,î which, Stepaniak said, turned out to be a rather serious disadvantage. ìThe survey confirms that the mail ballot proved to be controversial,î Stepaniak said, citing the 32 percent figure. ìA third of those people surveyed saw it as a way for the school district to give itself an unfair advantage ó that is a perception that is out there that worked against us. We know a lot of people thought the mail-in ballot was a scam.î ìWeíll never do the mail-in ballot again,î he said. The school board is currently mired in the decision making process in deciding whether or not to seek another referendum vote in November. It is an option, but the decision must be made no later than Sept. 18. Initial education tax and finance projections indicate taxpayers in North Branch should be paying a good deal less for their schools in the coming budget year. While the projections are not finalized yet, Stepaniak said, North Branch voters could possibly finance a new school in the city and still pay about $100 less than they did last budget year. ìI think it should go back to the voters because I think this has changed substantially,î Stepaniak said of the decreased tax burden. ìIf 50 percent of the people said the tax increase was too high, then if we can lower that tax impact, we should ask that question again.î ìItís not a matter of whether or not youíre for the increased taxes, itís a matter of your priorities,î the superintendent said. ìThis is an investment in our future.î The survey also indicated that a new school, if it were ever approved by the public, would be a 1,000-student facility and would be placed in the city of North Branch, not elsewhere in the district. ìIt just doesnít seem like itís going to work if we try to build anything less than a 1,000-student elementary school,î Stepaniak said. ìThe survey also tells us that if we proposed that it be built outside of North Branch, it wouldnít float.î Parents are the key figure in the equation, Stepaniak said: if they donít support better facilities for their children, their children simply wonít have them. ìItís no secret to me that we need involved parents who are willing to vote,î he said. ìIf theyíre not willing to do that, theyíre the ones who are impacted. ìIf parents say: ëIíll send my kid to year-round school,í or, ëIíll send them on split shifts before I raise my taxes,í then we donít have a prayer. Thatís just reality.î ©Post Review