REFERENDUM
I’d like to take a few moments to summarize the Sparta Area School District operational referendum that will appear on the April 5, 2022 ballot.
The State Drives the Formula.
The State legislature determines the maximum revenue (budget) a school district can have to run the day-to-day costs to operate, including salaries. This year, the legislature gave school districts more money in state aid, but no increase to the maximum revenue (budget) for the next two years. The only way for districts to increase the budget is through an operating referendum.
Student Enrollment for Funding
The student enrollment used for funding purposes includes a 3-year rolling average formula. This average was exactly the same in the 2021-2022 school year as it was in the 2020-2021 school year. This average is different from the actual number of students in attendance, which is used to determine staffing and resource allocation.
The Local School Tax: Three Buckets
The local school tax revenue is made up of three taxes, or Buckets: (1) School Operations, (2) Debt Payment, and (3) Community Programs. The size of the first bucket is set by the state formula for maximum revenue, and can only be increased through an operating referendum.
The District needs to put more tax revenue for the next two years in the School Operations Bucket instead of the Debt Payment Bucket (which is currently being overpaid). In order to take this action, voters must approve an operating referendum. If approved, the referendum would be used to “transfer” tax revenue from the Debt Payment Bucket to the School Operations Bucket.
Because the action anticipated for the next two years is authorizing funds that are already included in the $8.29 Mill Rate, the Mill Rate will not increase in the next two years.
If the Referendum Fails
If the referendum fails, the additional local tax revenue will not be available to our students and staff for educational purposes. Instead, the additional local tax revenue will continue to be used in the Debt Payment Bucket to pre-pay debt. There will be no change to the $8.29 Mill Rate.
Simply put, if the referendum fails, services and programming will be affected, including staffing, technology, transportation, and educational options.
MEMORIAL FIELD
When talking about the referendum, I am often asked about the Memorial Field Renovation Project. The short answer is that the Memorial Field Project is completely separate from the referendum.
The money to fund Memorial Field is coming out of a Trust Fund for capital projects. It is not being paid for through our school operating budget or borrowed against district debt. The District has saved in this Trust Fund over the past six years and deposited funds from the sale of 201 E. Franklin and the Lakeview School. This Trust Fund may only be used for capital projects.
In the spring of 2021, a committee of interested community members identified a number of projects that would benefit the students and families of the District. After a number of meetings, the committee, through unanimous consent, recommended that Memorial Field should be the first on the list. The Board of Education agreed, and the project moved forward.
The Memorial Field Steering Committee is by Mr. John Blaha, High School Athletic Director, Mr. Adam Dow, Head Football Coach for SHS, Ms. Amy Russ, Girls’ Soccer Coach, and Mr. Bob Lydon, Chair of the Gridiron Club. The Board of Education has contracted with Rettler Corp. to design and engineer the project, and Market & Johnson to construct the project.
The Board of Education committed $3 million from the Facilities Trust Fund to the project. The Gridiron Club is funding the remaining $250,000. This contribution means that the new facility will have a plaza in front of the Gridiron Club Building that will go all the way to a rail and retaining wall. This construction will provide ample standing space for viewing the field, and full handicap access to the new grandstand and bleachers.
Construction is slated to begin at the end of May 2022 and be completed in time for use in the Fall of 2022. For more information about the Memorial Field Renovation Project, please contact John Blaha, Athletic Director at jblaha@spartan.org or 608-855-0600; or Robert Lydon, Sparta Gridiron President, 608-633-2078 rlydon617@gmail.com.