GFW to

seek

referendum

District attempting to get back a lost referendum

By CHANCE PRIGGE

Journal Staff Writer

WINTHROP -- The Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop School Board voted Monday to get back what it lost last year.

The district passed a referendum in 2000, which was shot down by a state law last year.

"Our position is we're replacing our referendum that was lost," Superintendent Stephen Malone said.

The board unanimously approved a referendum that the public will vote on Nov. 5. The referendum consists of two sections, the first being a $300 increase per pupil unit.

"That money would be used for general-education programs -- to keep the programs we have now and to avoid further budget cuts," Malone said.

If that portion passes, a second section asks voters for a $50 increase per pupil unit.

"That money would be used to support the technology programs throughout the district," Malone said.

Malone said the referendum that passed in 2000 increased general-education spending $400 and technology at $50. Calling the referendum "very important," Malone said there would be cuts and reductions across the board if it does not pass.

The state law last year attempted to equalize funding among Minnesota's public schools, Malone said. Schools with no referenda automatically received a $415 increase in the general-education funding formula, while those with referenda had that much taken away and put into the funding formula.

"We want to keep the programs we have in place now," he said. "We reduced the budget by $600,000 in 1999, and we reduced it by $400,000 the years prior to that, so we've already reduced $1 million out of the budget."

"We want a referendum of an amount comparable to the surrounding school districts," Malone said. "We have good programs in place now and we want to keep them in place."

More than half of the revenue generated by the referendum would be state aid, Malone said.

Last winter, the School Board authorized a strategic-planning process by a group of 30 community members. Designated Future Horizon, the group looked at the school district's future and made recommendations.

"They looked at the demographics of the district, finances, programs," Malone said. "They made two recommendations."

The first was to market the school district and its programs. The second was to conduct a referendum to replace the one from 2000.

The GFW District has past support from the public. Malone said the previous referendum passed "overwhelmingly," with 70 percent support.

"We have a good history of community support," Malone said.

Estimates released by the board showed that if both sections of the referendum pass, estimated net tax increases annually would be: $49 for owners with property at a taxable market value of $40,000 and $74 for $60,000, $97 for $80,000. Those with an agricultural homestead with a taxable market value of $100,00 or more would pay $85 annually.

There would be no taxation on agricultural non-homesteads.