SOUTH WAYNE - Black Hawk voters rejected a recurring referendum to allow the school district to exceed state-mandated property tax revenue caps Tuesday by a vote of 617 to 350.
Superintendent Charles McNulty said voters determined they were unable to pay for the referendum, which would have allowed the district to exceed the revenue caps by $700,000 next year and by $800,000 in the following years. A recurring referendum has no end date. A non-recurring referendum lasts for only the amount of time specified in the referendum. The money would be used for district operating expenses.
"This wasn't an anti-kid vote," he said. "Referendums across the state failed to pass."
McNulty said the board will have to decide what course of action it wants to take.
In January, the board said it would ask for a $1.6 million non-recurring referendum in June, if the April referendum failed. McNulty wouldn't say if the board still planned to present another referendum to the voters.
According to information presented by a group that supported the recurring referendum, since the 2000-01 school year, enrollment has declined from 609 students to 430 in the 2009-10 school year. In the same period, the number of administrators has decreased from five to two; the number of teachers has decreased from 60 to 44; and the number of support staff has decreased from 28.5 to 25.
In 2007, district voters approved a three-year non-recurring referendum by a vote of 520 to 429.
Superintendent Charles McNulty said voters determined they were unable to pay for the referendum, which would have allowed the district to exceed the revenue caps by $700,000 next year and by $800,000 in the following years. A recurring referendum has no end date. A non-recurring referendum lasts for only the amount of time specified in the referendum. The money would be used for district operating expenses.
"This wasn't an anti-kid vote," he said. "Referendums across the state failed to pass."
McNulty said the board will have to decide what course of action it wants to take.
In January, the board said it would ask for a $1.6 million non-recurring referendum in June, if the April referendum failed. McNulty wouldn't say if the board still planned to present another referendum to the voters.
According to information presented by a group that supported the recurring referendum, since the 2000-01 school year, enrollment has declined from 609 students to 430 in the 2009-10 school year. In the same period, the number of administrators has decreased from five to two; the number of teachers has decreased from 60 to 44; and the number of support staff has decreased from 28.5 to 25.
In 2007, district voters approved a three-year non-recurring referendum by a vote of 520 to 429.