The Appoquinimink School District tries again to pass a tax referendum Tuesday.
The district is seeking a tax increase of 43 cents per $100 assessed property value – 40 cents of which will help cover operating expenses.
The other three cents are for a new middle and high school on the district’s Summit campus and an elementary school on Green Giant Road.
This ask is down from the 47 cent increase which voters rejected in December.
The district reduced the operating request by about three cents, and dropped a $4.2 million bus lot from the capital request.
Superintendent Matt Burrows attributed the loss, in part, to confusion on the ballot, and a lack of communication about the district’s needs.
Burrows says if the referendum fails again, the district will need to cut about $5 million from next year’s budget.
He adds around 85 percent of their operating expenses are employee salaries, and notes the district’s local revenue and tax rate is already far lower than other New Castle County districts.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. today (Tuesday) – polling locations can be found on the district website.
