The Appoquinimink School District’s referendum fails to pass.
All three ballot questions were rejected. The district asked voters for a 47-cent per $100 assessed property value increase for operating costs, mainly educator compensation, and several capital projects – three new schools and a bus lot.
The increase would have been implemented all at once, costing the average homeowner about an additional $435 per year.
Unofficial numbers from the Department of Elections show the operating ask lost by 248 votes, the new schools by 334 votes, and the bus lot by a mere four votes.
But Superintendent Matt Burrows says there may have been some confusion on the ballot. The options for the third question were both “in favor of,” either $66 million, referring to the money the district would bond for the three new schools, and assuming people voted “yes” on that question, or $70 million, which is the money for the three new schools plus $4 million for the bus lot.
“The one that said, 'for the $66 million,' which referred to the previous question two, was the one where they would be voting for the bus lot, but that was hard for people to understand," Burrows says.
He adds others assume property reassessments will bring in more revenue, but Burrows says the district is making them revenue-neutral, so tax rates will be adjusted to keep the total amount brought in unchanged.
Burrows says the district will send letters home to parents and plans on holding a town hall in January to collect feedback as they look to offer another referendum in the spring.
“We know that we need to work to close the gap between us and the rest of New Castle County when it comes to pay, so that will definitely continue to be a priority," Burrows says. "We also know that we need places to put our kids so we don’t have overcrowded schools and classrooms, so that will be another priority as well as we look at this.”
He notes the district continues to grow at a rapid rate and building new schools and keeping teacher pay competitive is imperative.
