RUSD Prepared to Educate Voters on Referendum Request

With the public schools referendum roughly six weeks away, the Racine Unified School District Board of Education on Monday heard about communications plans.

Voters living within RUSD (all of Racine County east of Interstate 94) will be asked to approve three referendum ballot questions on April 5.

If approved, the referendum would construct five new elementary schools and remodel five other school buildings ($83.5 million over 20 years); provide additional spending over a seven-year period to pay for teachers and staff ($35 million) and add $1 million a year the district’s general fund balance for 10 years ($10 million.)

David Hazen, RUSD’s chief financial officer, told the School Board that the communication phase for the referendum—called the Reinvesting Plan—“is really ramping up.”

The district’s website now contains a variety of information about the plan and its funding, including a calculator that allows site visitors to learn the effect that the bond issue and spending increases will have on their property taxes, he said.

The School Board is also busy hosting a series of Linking and Listening sessions between now and the April election. Board member Julie McKenna, communications committee chair, said the sessions are held at elementary schools slated to be replaced or remodeled. Board members and RUSD administrators make presentations at each session and answer questions.

“We’ve had very good response from the public,” she said. Attendance has “ranged from three people to 50 people.”

Three more referendum meetings are planned for Caledonia, including an informational session at 6:30 p.m. today (Feb. 23) at the Siena Center, 5635 Erie St. The meeting is co-sponsored by AAUW-Racine, Phi Delta Kappa and the Siena Center.

Other Listening and Linking sessions in Caledonia will be at:

• 6 p.m., Tuesday, March 1 at North Park Elementary School, 4748 Elizabeth St.
• 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, March 8, at Olympia Brown Elementary School, 5915 Erie St.