District wants to beat pending referendum freeze
By CHRIS RANDAZZO
of The Gazette
Voters in the Stevens Point Area School District may soon get a chance to vote on another referendum, possibly as soon as April.
On Monday, Jan. 28, the School Board heard recommendations about building conditions from the Facilities Advisory Committee, which was formed more than a year ago to study the district's building and maintenance needs.
Those recommendations included one or more referenda totaling approximately $16 million to address mechanical and maintenance needs within the district and addressing facility needs at district school totaling approximately $21 million.
A subcommittee, consisting of tradesmen and led by John "Whitey" Worzalla, arrived at the $16 million figure by inspecting all the district's schools. According to a letter from Worzalla to the Facilities Advisory Committee most of the schools are in need of electrical upgrades and upgrades or replacements of sinks and toilets.
Other concerns deal with the age of mechanical systems like boilers, pumps and air handling units which are outdated and in need of repair or replacement. Some schools also need windows replaced.
"I'd like to point out that most of the maintenance needs in the $16 million are not discretionary," said board member Elmer Fournier. "There is going to have to be something done in fairly short order."
The district is under pressure to do something soon because of a plan proposed by Republican state senators suggesting a freeze on referendums. That plan could go into effect as soon as it passes both houses of the Legislature.
If the board wants to beat that freeze, it would have to go to referendum in April (districts can only hold referendums on scheduled election dates). To meet the April date the board would have to adopt the initial referendum on or before Saturday, Feb. 16, because of statutes requiring at least 45 days notice.
"I hope the community would listen to the reasons we are moving so quickly," said board member Deb Wilz. "I'd like to take more time, but we just don't have it."
Another reason that the district is under pressure to act now is that the Republican plan proposes cutting the two-thirds state funding of capital expenditures for school districts when the budget is signed in June.
"I'm convinced that we're going to have to pay the $16 million one way or another, but there is a big difference between $16 million and $5 million with the discount (the state's funding)," said board member Mike O'Meara. "I don't think the buildings are in a condition where they can wait much more."
Board President Mary Thurmaier directed school administration to have an initial proposal drawn up for consideration at the board's next meeting on Monday, Feb. 11. The board would have to take action at that meeting to meet the Feb. 16 deadline. "We don't have any time to waste," Thurmaier said.
According to William Palmer, assistant superintendent-business, even if the district had to fund the entire $16 million, it wouldn't affect the mill rate because of the low amount of debt the district carries and the fact that much of the district's debt will be paid off within the next five years.
As far as the $21 million in facilities needs, Emery Babcock, school superintendent, said that the majority of the improvements deal with safety and security issues at the school, such as the inadequacy of the size of lunch rooms and the small size of the staircase at Ben Franklin Junior High School.
Additionally, schools are in need of more classroom space.
However, in its recommendation the Facilities Advisory Committee suggested that until the school board establishes programmatic direction, prioritization or potential phasing of the facilities projects would be premature.
CORRECTION: In a story in the Jan. 18 issue of The Gazette it was incorrectly reported that the school district's custodial staff received a new contract as part of its agreement with the Teamsters union. The custodial staff is not part of the Teamsters union and is still without a new contract.