More On The Referendum

As some of you may know, the board adopted a resolution to bring a referendum question to voters in this April’s election.  We are bringing the question to voters this April due to the fact that there is no planned election in the fall of 2013 and if the referendum does not pass, we can make changes and bring the question a second time in the spring of 2014.  To be clear, this referendum will replace the two that expire at the end of next year (2013-2014) and will take effect in 2014-2015.  The two referenda we currently have total $450,000.00 per year in additional revenue cap authority; the resolution adopted by the board will ask voters to approve a four year, non-recurring referendum for $500,000.00 in the first two years and $550,000.00 in the second two years.  The rationale behind the increase of $50,000.00 from the current amount, and again in the second two years of the new referendum is largely due to the increased costs of doing business in addition to multiple facility improvements and upgrades planned over time.  The positive news regarding the slightly larger amount is that district residents will see a lower mill rate than in recent years primarily due to the district becoming debt free at the conclusion of this year.  Initial estimates indicate that if the new referendum is approved, the mill rate would range between 11.0 and 12.0 with a worst case scenario at around 12.5 and a best case scenario around 10.0.  Once the State’s biennial budget is unveiled, we will have a much better grasp on specifically what we are looking at for the immediate future and subsequently, the forecasting of what is to come throughout the years of the new referendum.  I am confident that the range described above is a solid estimate.

As in the past, the district will be conducting informational meetings to discuss the referendum and its effect on residents.  These meetings will be held in the High School IMC at 7:00pm on Thursday, February 21^st; Tuesday, March 12^th; and Monday, March 25^th.     

Please contact me at any time with questions.

Sincerely,

Craig G. Broeren

District Administrator

715-455-1683 ext. 119

broeren@prairiefarm.k12.wi.us

School Security Update

Due to recent occurrences, school security has become an issue on everyone's mind and our board is no different.  At our regular board meeting last month, the board heard from concerned parents and also discussed many aspects of our security district-wide.  As a result of that meeting, I wanted to take some time to share with you some of the things that have been transpiring in addition to some plans for the future.  To begin, on Monday January 21st, the board will consider two bids from security companies which would modify our main entrances to have both electronic locks (which would be locked throughout the day) as well as video interfaces.  Visitors to the district would have to buzz the office to be let in after they are identified via the video.  In addition to this, we have also conducted a comprehensive review and update of our emergency management plan, evaluated all interior doors and locks and made changes where necessary, labeled all exterior windows and doors (in process) for easy identification, and will be conducting "active shooter" training for all staff in the near future.  In addition to these changes/ updates, the board is also considering other facility changes including modifying the entrances further to funnel all visitors to the offices prior to entry into the building and a potential re-key and security update to all exterior doors.  Clearly, these processes take time but I assure you that our focus is the safety and security of EVERY individual in our schools.

If you have any questions, please contact me at any time.

Craig G. Broeren
District Administrator
715-455-1683 ext. 119
broeren@prairiefarm.k12.wi.us

Referendum Update- January 2013

Happy New Year!  I hope that 2013 brings many great things for you and your families.  The purpose of this article is to notify the residents of the Prairie Farm School District that we have to accelerate our referendum planning and proposal to be ready to bring a question to voters for this April’s election.  This is a result of the fact that there are no elections planned for the fall of 2013 when we had initially planned on conducting a referendum to replace the two that are set to expire at the end of the 2013-2014 school year.  The rationale behind this decision is that the district will still have the opportunity to bring the question to voters a second time in the event the first attempt fails this spring; in addition, we will not have to conduct a special election which would cause district taxpayers to incur the additional cost of paying for polling workers, ballots, and all of the other costs associated with conducting a special election.  The board and administration is currently working out some of the details of the proposed referendum question and I intend to provide information to the community as it becomes available through the news media and by conducting public meetings in the near future.  At this time, I do know that the board intends to propose one referendum question which would replace the two we currently have out totaling $450,000.00 (one for $200,000.00 and the most recent one for $250,000.00); however, I do not know specifically the quantity we will seek or the duration.  It is safe to assume that the new referendum would at a minimum replace the $450,000.00 we currently have; in addition, the board will NOT seek a recurring referendum rather a non-recurring and would decide on a reasonable time frame of 3 to 5 years.  Taxpayers should also note that the final building bond the district is currently paying will have been paid in full by April of 2014 which means that the district will have no debt payments when the new referendum (if passed) is in place beginning the 2014-2015 school year.   

The district will provide all of the relevant figures to residents in the coming weeks and months.  There will also be further correspondence regarding the dates, times, and places of informational meetings regarding the referendum and its potential impact to taxpayers.     

As always, please feel free to contact me anytime.

Sincerely,

Craig G. Broeren

District Administrator

715-455-1683 ext. 119

broeren@prairiefarm.k12.wi.us