Referendum deserves serious consideration
Another school referendum so soon?
Residents in the Cape district may be asking that question after district officials scheduled a March 23 referendum vote. The last vote, successful, came in 2014 and paved the way for construction of the new Love Creek Elementary, now underway, and expansions at Beacon and Mariner middle schools, completed. Voters approved a school tax increase of 10 cents per $100 of assessed property value, about $22 per average household.
This new referendum seeks approval of a 33-cent increase - $74 annually to the average district household - to fund the local $48 million share of an overall $154 million project. In addition to a new $34 million Sussex Consortium building and additional classrooms, funded entirely by the state, the remaining $120 million would fund construction of two new elementary schools - one in Rehoboth Beach and one in Milton - and extensive renovations and expansion of other elementary schools in Lewes and Milton.
Cape District already owns the land for these projects and would save significantly on design and engineering costs for the new elementary schools by replicating the new Love Creek Elementary. These factors also allow the district to take advantage of a window of opportunity because other Delaware districts aren’t ready to move forward with inevitable expansion plans. This puts Cape in a favorable position vis-a-vis state funding.
Growth drives it all. Cape District enrollment is expanding by about 100 students per year. Growth also brings more taxpayers to shoulder the burden. Officials say because of increasing tax revenues, the rate increase of 2014 has already been decreased by half. The 33-cent increase sought this time, they say, is a worst-case scenario with conservative budgeting. With growth continuing, officials say this increase could also be reduced.
Officials will be holding 50 community meetings over the next several weeks to explain this final chapter in a 20-year expansion and renovation plan that started in 1999. Voters should take advantage of the meetings to get a full sense of the scope before making their decision to support or reject. Education is crucial to our society and deserves serious voter consideration.
