Posted 9/19/01 New building bond referendum set for NB School District voters By Jason Sileo In a unanimous decision Thursday night, the North Branch School Board voted to seek another building bond referendum election for the purpose of building a new 1,000-student elementary school in the district. The vote will be taken on Nov. 6 during the general election. The voters of the district will be asked to approve a roughly $26 million bond, whose funds would, according to the ballot, provide for ěthe acquisition and betterment of school sites and facilities, including the construction and equipping of a new elementary school...î District Superintendent Dr. Robert Stepaniak said the bond funds, if approved, would provide for the new construction as well as ěsome updating in the other buildings.î A second question on the ballot will ask for additional funds for district technology upgrades. That levy, Stepaniak said, will be ědedicated to supporting the technology needs of the district, which, the administration has been reporting to the school board, has been slipping in the absence of sufficient funding from the state.î The second question, if approved, would provide funds across a 10-year time frame to continue technology and software maintenance in the district in addition to replacement upgrades. The bond is strikingly similar to one which failed in May ó but changes in the state property tax formula mean taxpayers would take a much smaller hit in the pocketbook should they vote to support the schoolsí request. It was necessary for the board to wait to hear accurate reports on property tax information from the state before announcing its decision to seek the referendum. With property taxes on the way down, school officials think they have a new case for the voters to consider: ěWith the legislative tax cuts and school-funding changes, local property owners will still see a decrease in their school property tax portionî even if both issues on the referendum ballot were approved. Dr. Stepaniak said, in the approaching weeks and months, the districtís voters would be getting all the information they can use to make an informed decision on the issue. ěCertainly there will be much more information coming out in the next month about these questions for all the voters and property owners,î he said. ©Post Review