Wheatland J1 School District (Wheatland Center School) officials hosted a presentation Monday on the district’s operational referendum that will be on the April 5 ballot for residents of the district.
The district is seeking via the referendum approval to exceed the levy limit by up to $525,000 for four years.
A similar referendum passed in 2018 expires this year. The new referendum amount is actually less than the previous referendum, a rarity.
District officials project no increase to the school property tax rate as a result of passing the referendum.
The need to pass operational referendums will persist until the state changes how it funds local schools, district administrator Martin McGinley said. The formula that sets revenue limits, for example, has not been changed in several years, despite inevitable increases in costs at the district level.
“This is not the first time we are doing this and it won’t be the last,” McGinley said. “Unless things change in the school funding program, there is no conceivable future without a referendum in it. It doesn’t work. It doesn’t mean we’re spending more money. It just means our revenue limit is substantially lower than what we already spend.”
“In the end I think it comes down to do you think we are doing a good job with the tax dollars and the outcomes for kids,” McGinley said.
McGinley also had praise for the support the school receives from the community.
“We really appreciate the community support,” McGinley said. “When you walk around the halls to see what happens, it’s an amazing place.”
Video of the presentation by McGinley is above.
The district includes portions of Wheatland, Randall, Salem Lakes and Brighton.
