SCHOOL BOARD TALKS ABOUT REFERENDUM
Tuesday, June 13th, 2006 -- 2:18 PM
While no action was takenMonday night, it appears the Neillsville School Board is prepared to move forward with sending a revenue cap exemption referendum to voters ? possibly by as early as the September 12th primary.At a meeting last night, the board heard from the school?s financial advisor, David DeYoung. He explained schools can ask three types of questions through referendum:[list][*]They may ask permission to borrow money[*]They may ask to exceed the state-imposed cap for a finite amount of time[*]Or, they may ask for a permanent cap exemption[/list]DeYoung said the second option was most common.
No dollar amounts were specifically discussed.
DeYoung noted that the days of school referenda passing easily are ?long since behind us?. Now, he says, referenda questions only pass 20- to 30-percent of the time.
Neillsville is faced with a projected precipitous enrollment drop over the next four years, starting next year when the headcount will drop 50 to 70 students. That could mean a $200,000 drop in state aid next year alone.
In order to hold the referendum in September, the board would need to pass two resolutions by July 29th.
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