Jan. 27, 2020 10:00p
(WGTD)----The Racine School Board voted unanimously Monday night to send a plan to the voters this April that's designed to pay for a nearly $600 facilities blueprint. The referendum, if approved, would move forward a long-range facilities plan that involves closing some schools, building new ones and remodeling others.
"This is in some is a construction plan--we will be building things and making improvements," said School Board President Brian O'Connell. "It is also a right-sizing plan. We will wind up with a different mix of buildings--a mix of buildings that is better tuned to the future of the district," he said, adding that the changes could not come about unless the plan was adequately funded.
The district has said that the planned borrowing would be structured in such a way as to keep the tax rate, at least for debt service, stable.
Technically, the board will be asking voters to exceed state-mandated levy limits for "non-recurring" purposes for the next 30 years.
Board member Michael Frontier urged voters to pass the referendum. "Our schools have been underfunded," Frontier said before the board vote Monday night. "We know our town--it's a great town. But it's broken in many places and this can help us put it together," he said.
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