Posted 1/10/01
North Branch School District prepares for May referendum
By Jason Sileo
The North Branch School District will ask voters to approve a more than $20 million referendum in May for the construction of a new elementary school in North Branch.
The bond funds would also be used to perform assorted maintenance work at the districtís primary school and for the construction of a number of new soccer fields and baseball/softball diamonds at the proposed site off Grand Ave. south of the high school.
Short of holding classes in ice fishing houses in the winter or outside on the football field in fall and spring, it appears itís not a matter of whether or not a new elementary school will be built, but when.
ìWe know some people just wonít go for higher taxes, but this space issue just isnít going to go away,î District Superintendent Dr. Robert Stepaniak said in announcing the referendum push.
Also on the ballot will be a vote to approve an increase in operational levy funds for district technology purposes over the next five years.
ìThis has been a year-long project,î Stepaniak explained. ìThis whole fall and winter have been spent studying the issues, the needs, the options and what we feel we can do. We bring in financial consultants... architects, engineers and we look at it every way possible.î
The total dollar amount for the building bond referendum will likely be in the area of $22.8 million, with the state picking up 30 percent of the total figure, Stepaniak said.
ìThe challenge for the school board is to balance the best educational system they can with what they think the taxpayers can support,î the superintendent said.
Population ballooning
ìAll a citizen needs to do is look around this community and ask the question, ëIs this city going to grow?í I think itís real obvious that it is,î Stepaniak said. ìIf we are at capacity ñ and we can prove we are ñ a new building is inevitable... Inevitable in a sense that if you want to maintain a reasonable educational system youíre going to have to have a new building. Itís a community decision, and we hope the taxpayers take a close look at it.î
ìThree of the four buildings in the district will be over enrollment capacity next year,î he said, citing enrollment projection figures based on the past five years of growth. ìThe high school is about 50 students short of capacity.î
If the referendum passes, the new school would be operational by the beginning of the 2003 school year, according to projections.
Included along with the new building will be a handful of new soccer fields and ball diamonds, though an exact number has yet to be determined.
ìWe need more field space,î Stepaniak said, stating the obvious for many soccer families in the district. ìWe had a situation last summer where we actually turned down little kids for soccer teams because we didnít have enough fields. When youíre in the business of working with kids you donít like to do those things.î
Aside from the new school and the new fields, about $1.5 million of the referendum funds would be used to update mechanical issues at the primary school. The school has fire alarm issues, Stepaniak said, as well as electrical concerns, and the district would also like to air condition the building.
ìThe school board felt a real obligation to keep this as . . . to ask only for what we feel we need,î Stepaniak said. ìWeíre very concerned that people are going to think that the district is just trying to manipulate things just to get a new building ñ but people can walk into our buildings any time they want and take a look for themselves,î he said of the crowded conditions.
Operational levy boost
A second vote, on the same May ballot, will be for the consideration of an increased operating levy for the schools for the purpose of continued effective technology education in the district.
This portion of the plan would seek to infuse about $500,000 per year for five years into the districtís technology budget for updating equipment and supplies, and staff training, among other purposes.
ìThat way we would have a half a million dollars per year to work with the technology, to update our systems, provide the proper training and things like that,î Stepaniak said.
Delay the inevitable
If the bond referendum fails, the district has a variety of contingency options in place, but none would be considered very appealing for strong proponents of primary education.
ìWeíll play the cards weíre dealt,î Stepaniak said, referring to a May referendum failure. ìBut it seems to me it would be logical to support this now, to get it built. Construction costs continue to go up ñ we donít see the district saving money by waiting. We need to do it sooner rather than later.î
If the referendum fails, the superintendent said, the district would likely go back for another try this fall: space is simply an issue that cannot be ignored.
ìWe will have to take . . . class size to the max; as high as you think you can take it ñ which is always higher that what is good education,î Stepaniak said of the contingencies. ìWe will turn people away from the Early Childhood programs . . . we will continue to limit field use, as student activities are limited.î
ìThereís an option to use the district office for classroom space,î Stepaniak said, referring to the cramped offices on the second floor of the Main Street School. ìMaybe two classrooms if we could find space to lease for our district office.î
ìOur obligation is to do whatís best for kids and minimize the impact on them,î Stepaniak said. If the referendum fails, ìwe will be saying ënoí in some programs . . .î
Taxpayersí burden
The taxpayersí burden in the district had not been determined exactly as of press time, though Stepaniak said more detailed information would be mailed out to residents this week. Two public meetings on the matter have been scheduled for the evenings of Jan. 23 and 29, though the site for the meetings has yet to be determined.
ìThe board wanted to keep it under $200 per year for a $125,000 house . . . brand new taxes, on top of what we have now,î Stepaniak said.
He said that tax rate would still be less than what the taxpayers paid in 1997, ìand as we get more population there are more people to pay the taxes,î he said. ìOur dollar amount stays the same but we spread it over more people.î
Considerations for a swimming pool at the schools were also made, but Stepaniak said a pool is simply out of the question at the moment.
ìWe canít even afford to ask the question,î he said. ìSome people are pushing us to have a pool. Our issue is classroom space and thatís what weíre going to focus on.î
Since the vote will take place in early May, the district is required to send ballots by mail to all voters in the city.
ìThe ballot will be mailed out to everybody and theyíll have 20 days to return it; and then you count them,î Stepaniak explained. The vote will be decided by a simple majority of the returned ballots.
ìPeople who pay attention to the community know this was inevitable,î Stepaniak said. ìItís real hard to predict how this is going to turn out.î