School referendum deserves 'yes' The advisory referendum about a proposed casino in Plover has taken the spotlight, but more voters, the entire Stevens Point Area School District, will consider a referendum on Tuesday, Sept. 12, that is vital to the future operation of the district. The proposal is only a stopgap measure. It certainly deserves support from voters and a "yes" vote in Tuesday's election. This is the third school referendum in the district in a year. In November, voters rejected a $57 million proposal, and in May they turned thumbs-down to a $48.2 million proposal. Those proposals involved remodeling and upgrading buildings, plus exceeding the state imposed levy limits for recurring expenses due to the upgrading and remodeling. This referendum asks voters to approve exceeding the state levy limits by $1.35 million in each of the next two years to maintain current programs and to upgrade technology and textbooks. Without the additional money, the district will have to reduce its programs. The district has identified the specific items covered by the proposal. Of the amount, $755,000 will go to maintain current programs that would have to be cut because of revenue caps for the 2000-2001 district budget. Without those funds, areas identified for reduction or elimination include all winter and spring athletic programs, the standardized testing program, funds for new science textbooks, School-to-Work equipment funds, Odyssey of the Mind student program, Reading Recovery contract, materials and supplies for classrooms and staff development travel. Another $150,000 would be used to purchase science textbooks, $225,000 to upgrade technology at all schools and $220,000 to meet priority maintenance needs. Those maintenance needs were whittled to safety and security needs in four schools. – Gene Kemmeter