Voters in the Woodbridge School District head to the polls Tuesday to vote on a tax referendum.
It's the first time in 13 years the district has sought a tax increase, and if approved, the referendum would raise taxes to fund operating expenses in the district.
Woodbridge superintendent Heath Chasanov says Woodbridge no longer has adequate revenue coming in to support current operations.
“And so we’ve had some reserves that we’ve been dipping into. But we have a structural issue with our budget that we need to fix; we can’t continue to do this,” said Chasanov.
And Chasanov explains what this referendum is seeking to address that issue.
“We’re asking for $950,000," said Chasanov. "And we’re one of three school districts in the State that cross County lines of Smyrna and Milford. And so for the average homeowner in Sussex County, it’s going to be about a $70 increase for the year. For the average homeowner in Kent County, it’s going to be more around $84.”
Chasanov notes that the additional funding would be used for textbooks, teacher materials, security enhancement at all district schools and cover an increase in salary expenses due to growth in enrollment.
The polls will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Woodbridge Middle School in Bridgeville and Woodbridge Early Childhood Education Center in Greenwood.
It doesn't matter if you live in Sussex or Kent County - you can vote at either polling place.