In August the Lake Forest Board of Education approved the pursuit of two referendums and established an election date of December 4, 2012. Last night, the Board decided to postpone the capital referendum but continue with pursuit of the operating referendum.
Why? The Capital referendum, which is for buildings and grounds improvements, was a small one by most standards – totaling $6.5 million in improvements around the district. The Lake Forest share would come from the Kent County funds and would require no tax increase. Plans had been submitted to the Delaware Department of Education requesting approval of a Certificate of Necessity, but that approval has been slow coming.
We were advised by state staff that requests for funds from the bond bill exceeded the amount available and that not even all priority 1 requests would be approved. It became clear that our CN would not be approved any time soon and that, if approved, it would likely be reduced, so we decided to hold off on those projects and resubmit next year.
The district will continue with plans for an operating referendum on December 4 that will request public approval for funds aimed at:
• Technology upgrades – essential equipment replacement and maintenance of student computers
• Student safety – support for the School Resource Officer and other safety programs
• Extra instructional time – homebound instruction, after school tutoring and transportation
• Transportation support – to fill the gap created by a 10% reduction in state support
• Attracting and retaining quality staff – move compensation for staff from the bottom to the middle of other area school districts
Friday, October 26, 2012
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