Dear Editor:

The purpose of this letter is to let District residents know that it is okay to vote No for the school referendum.

The School District has made a habit to “double dip” on the District resident’s tax dollars for decades. If you are a property owner or renter in the District, you are paying school tax directly through your property taxes, or indirectly through your rent. A passed referendum taxes you, yet again, on the school portion of your property tax if you are a property owner. And if you are a renter, it increases the taxes your landlord has to pay which most likely will be passed on to you, the renter.

It isn’t often that we have an opportunity to vote for more taxes, or less taxes. This is the opportunity you are now faced with. A No vote will lower your tax burden. A Yes vote will increase your tax burden. In dollars and cents, it’s just that simple.

There is an incredible effort being made to get this referendum passed. The school district became accustomed to having all the referendums pass in the last 20+ years with very few exceptions, if any, that they expected the referendum to pass on last spring’s ballot. The residents, in the District voted it down.

Now, with the final year of the last referendum’s money coming to an end, the District is a little concerned. Not about whether or not you can, or want to, pay additional taxes to keep them running the way they are used to, but concerned about being able to continue running as status quo.

Are any of the people that vote yes going to care if you are low income, or fixed income, or just don’t have any desire to support the cause? I would guess the answer to that question is very few. Their Yes vote will increase the tax burden on property owners for the next several years.

When I see the District asking for referendum money to pay for “non-recurring expenses,” I don’t really know what that means. My initial thought is whatever they want, without having to be accountable for where it was spent. I personally would like to see a “shopping list,” so that we can keep track of how it was spent, and that the “shopping list” isn’t just recycled for the next referendum.

In the July 24, 2024 Enterprise Sentinel, it mentions that District Administrator Randy Bergman gave a preliminary look at the budget for 2024-2025. He said that state aid will be up by $291,000 for next year. So there is some good news for the district.

Neighboring school districts have entered into talks about how sharing resources can be beneficial. I think that is also a positive thing. It seems fiscally responsible to me.

There is way more to this than meets the eye. I’m not going to get into any “mudslinging.” I just wanted to point out that you shouldn’t feel guilty, or ashamed, by not supporting this referendum. Obviously it was voted down in the spring, so many people feel the same way.

Time is running short. Election day and the ballot in which this referendum will be decided is Tuesday, November 5, 2024.

Do not be fooled when the referendum supporters say your taxes will go down. The mill rate may decrease, but with the recent inflation of property values, you will feel the increase.

Save this letter on your refrigerator. Share it with a friend. Write in on your calendar, or in your appointment book.

Be sure to get out and vote on Tuesday, November 5.

Every vote is going to count.