SOUTH WAYNE - The Black Hawk school district will have a five-year non-recurring $500,000 capital improvement referendum on the April 3 ballot.
The district is looking for voters to approve issuing debt of $100,000 per year for five years to pay for projects including replacing the gym floor, replacing gym bleachers, fixing eight sections of the school's roof, repairing a portion of the parking lot, replacing 200 hallway lockers and seal-coating the track.
"We are telling people that we need these things," said Willy Chambers, Black Hawk superintendent. "We are not blowing smoke."
If the referendum is approved in April, Chambers said the district's tax rate would increase about 6 percent based on this year's financial numbers. Annual school taxes would increase by $55.34 for the owner of a $100,000 house. The current tax rate is $8.83 per $1,000 of assessed value. If the referendum is approved, the tax rate would increase to $9.39 per $1,000 of value.
The gym floor and bleachers are original, installed when the gym was built. They've been in use since 1964.
"The gym floor has bubbled up," Chambers said. "It's 54 years old. It's not exposed during basketball games because it's under the bleachers. It is exposed in P.E. classes."
Two companies have looked at the school's roof, and Chambers said there are eight flat areas they recommend should be replaced.
Chambers said the lockers, parking lot and track have just undergone wear and tear.
The last referendum approved by voters in the Black Hawk school district was in June 2007, when they approved a three-year non-recurring referendum to maintain educational programs.
Capital improvement project referendums across the state have had a slightly lower success rate at the polls in the past decade than non-recurring referendums for educational programming. According to the state Department of Public Instruction, 60 percent (281) of 468 debt service referendums over the past 10 years have been approved. In that same decade, about 66 percent (259) of 391 non-recurring referendums to exceed the revenue cap were approved by voters.
"My perception is people can see what they are paying for and it adds to the possibility of it passing," Chambers said of capital improvement referendums.
Other projects the board considered before removing from the referendum list include installing showers in separate stalls in the locker rooms, new playground equipment and restroom dividers in the elementary bathrooms.
Chambers said the district will be putting dividers in the elementary restrooms this spring as part of a regular budget item and will look at other funding sources for the playground equipment.
"Putting in the showers is not as high of a priority right now," he said.
For the referendum to pass April 3, a majority of the voters in the district will have to support it.
If the referendum doesn't pass in April, Chambers said the district will have to come up with a contingency plan.
The district is looking for voters to approve issuing debt of $100,000 per year for five years to pay for projects including replacing the gym floor, replacing gym bleachers, fixing eight sections of the school's roof, repairing a portion of the parking lot, replacing 200 hallway lockers and seal-coating the track.
"We are telling people that we need these things," said Willy Chambers, Black Hawk superintendent. "We are not blowing smoke."
If the referendum is approved in April, Chambers said the district's tax rate would increase about 6 percent based on this year's financial numbers. Annual school taxes would increase by $55.34 for the owner of a $100,000 house. The current tax rate is $8.83 per $1,000 of assessed value. If the referendum is approved, the tax rate would increase to $9.39 per $1,000 of value.
The gym floor and bleachers are original, installed when the gym was built. They've been in use since 1964.
"The gym floor has bubbled up," Chambers said. "It's 54 years old. It's not exposed during basketball games because it's under the bleachers. It is exposed in P.E. classes."
Two companies have looked at the school's roof, and Chambers said there are eight flat areas they recommend should be replaced.
Chambers said the lockers, parking lot and track have just undergone wear and tear.
The last referendum approved by voters in the Black Hawk school district was in June 2007, when they approved a three-year non-recurring referendum to maintain educational programs.
Capital improvement project referendums across the state have had a slightly lower success rate at the polls in the past decade than non-recurring referendums for educational programming. According to the state Department of Public Instruction, 60 percent (281) of 468 debt service referendums over the past 10 years have been approved. In that same decade, about 66 percent (259) of 391 non-recurring referendums to exceed the revenue cap were approved by voters.
"My perception is people can see what they are paying for and it adds to the possibility of it passing," Chambers said of capital improvement referendums.
Other projects the board considered before removing from the referendum list include installing showers in separate stalls in the locker rooms, new playground equipment and restroom dividers in the elementary bathrooms.
Chambers said the district will be putting dividers in the elementary restrooms this spring as part of a regular budget item and will look at other funding sources for the playground equipment.
"Putting in the showers is not as high of a priority right now," he said.
For the referendum to pass April 3, a majority of the voters in the district will have to support it.
If the referendum doesn't pass in April, Chambers said the district will have to come up with a contingency plan.