Referendum Talk

DeKALB - About 200 residents attended a town hall meeting Monday to let their voices be heard and have questions answered about an upcoming DeKalb School District referendum. The DeKalb Chamber of Commerce hosted the meeting to educate the community about a proposed $110 million construction referendum for the Feb. 5 ballot. Featured were speakers from the school district and the pro-referendum group ReNew Our Schools Committee. If approved in February, the referendum will add about $270 to the tax bill of the owner of a $200,000 DeKalb home for the 2008 tax year, said Elizabeth Hennessy of William Blair & Co., the investment banking firm the district is working with on the referendum. That amount could change during the life of the 20-year bonds the district would buy because of fluctuating property assessments and tax base growth, Hennessy said. In a meeting that saw applause for both sides at times, some residents attending spoke to the need for new schools to accommodate a growing district, while others said they couldn't afford paying higher taxes. Pat Bragg, a 41-year DeKalb resident and former local PTA president, was among the naysayers, saying referendum supporters don't know the community. After hearing about the potential tax bill increase, she asked the average salary of those voting on Feb. 5 and received a mixed response. “People are struggling with utilities, with gas bills,” she said. “You gave us the Cadillac. Where is the Chevy? Where is the Ford for a community that can't afford what you have up there tonight?” Schools Superintendent Paul Beilfuss sat at a table on stage beside three others - school district spokesman Russ Fletcher and ReNew Our Schools Committee members Brian Schrader and Cohen Barnes. In front of the stage were four large posters outlining already-approved building plans by the school board. If passed, a $110 million referendum will fund the first part of a two-phase, 10-year construction plan approved by the school board to deal with the district's growing student enrollment. The total cost for the decade-long plan is $214 million, according to district administrators. The first phase would include building a new high school and elementary school, as well as repurposing three other schools for new uses. “The first half of the referendum is for capacity,” Beilfuss said. “The second half is to bring equity to the schools.” The capacity situation is dire, said four DeKalb High School seniors who attended the meeting and sat quietly near the front of the theater. “At certain choke points in the hallways, movement literally stops,” 17-year-old Adam Pourahmadi said. “You have to wait in line just to walk to class.” His friend Kevin Smith discussed the need for referendum money to provide for students after him. “I know I'm graduating and I'm not going to be here,” he said. “But I think it's important that we get the space. I don't want to just pass on the problems to students coming in.” The four representatives on stage patiently fielded questions Monday from many residents in opposition to the referendum. “One thing we want to ensure with this referendum is that we don't have a single question unanswered,” Barnes said. “These students are going to be future residents voting in our community. ... They are our future, and we need to provide them with adequate facilities.” The high school building has a functional capacity of 1,430, according to district officials. Current enrollment for the 2007-08 school year is 1,714, nearly 500 more students than were enrolled a decade ago. Board members anticipate 2,000 students will be enrolled at the high school by 2017. In the event of a failed referendum, administrators are investigating a contingency plan that could involve program cuts, major scheduling changes, staggered classes, year-round school and reducing kindergarten from full-day to half-day, Beilfuss said. When resident Herb Rubin asked what would happen in the community if the referendum were to fail, Schrader said the results would be a slow decline in property values and in the value of the school system. “We don't want to be so reliant on property taxes to fund our school system,” Schrader said. “One important way to do that is to attract and draw people in. Quality schools will attract the type of business we want in town to spread the tax base.” Monday's meeting was not without humor. “Cohen, if you are an average citizen, I think we're doing pretty well,” resident Mac McIntyre said. “I'm still trying to remember if I was at Woodstock.” After roaring laughter, Beilfuss replied, “Mac, I saw you at Woodstock.” Joking aside, McIntyre explained he voted “no” for past referendums but now realizes there is a need for more capacity in district schools. February's effort will be the district's fourth attempt at a referendum in the past six years. In March 2002, a $55 million referendum failed, and a $39.8 million referendum failed in both November 2002 and April 2003. Reporter Carrie Frillman can be reached at cfrillman@daily-chronicle.com.