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North Crawford School District voters urged to fill out survey
Go to the school district website at www.northcrawford.com
North Crawford

NORTH CRAWFORD - The North Crawford School District will take to the polls on November 8, 2022, to ask district voters to support a two-part referendum. 

The district is currently in the planning stages for that referendum, and is seeking feedback from district residents through the use of a survey.

First referendum

The first question on the ballot will ask voters to approve an operational question to exceed the district’s revenue cap to meet current and future operational expenses in the district. Those operational expenses include staff salary and benefits, curriculum and district programs, co-curricular activities, technology, transportation, and deferred maintenance on district facilities.

The district will potentially ask voters to approve a $900,000 recurring operational referendum, with the full amount being phased in over a four-year period, with the district asking for $300,000 the first year, $250,000 the second year, $200,000 the third year, and $150,000 the fourth year. 

Phasing it in over four years will allow the district to meet current and future operational expenses, while at the same time reducing the tax burden on district residents. If the district is unable to exceed the revenue cap through the voters approving a referendum, the district will be forced to make cuts to staff and programs. 

The tax impact on the operational question will be an average of $66 per $100,000 of assessed property value over those four years.

Second referendum

The second question on the ballot will ask voters to approve a debt service question to borrow money to meet capital improvement needs on the district’s building and grounds. 

As you may know, the North Crawford school building just surpassed it’s 30th year in existence, and much of the building has not been updated from when it was originally built in 1991.

Capital projects that need to be addressed include a new roof, new windows, new parking lots, updates to instructional classrooms and spaces, and other capital projects within the building and grounds.

The school district is partnering with FEH Design out of Dubuque, Iowa for architectural and design services, and Kraemer Brothers based out of Plain, Wisconsin, for construction management services.

Based on voter feedback and the extent of needs in the district, the district anticipates asking the voters to approve between $4.5 million and $8.5 million in debt service to address these capital improvement needs. 

If the district is unable to pass the debt service question, it will result in important capital improvement projects not getting completed, which is going to lead to future issues and increased costs in the district’s facilities. 

The tax impact on the debt service question could range from an increase of $140 per $100,000 of assessed property value to an increase of $212 per $100,000, depending on the total amount borrowed.

The North Crawford School District is asking district residents to please complete the Referendum Survey that the district has put out. The results of the survey will be helpful in guiding the district forward as the school board and administration begin to finalize plans for the referendum. 

Survey options

There are several ways to access the survey: 

• Online:he survey can be accessed at the following website; https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NCSDcommunitysurvey.

• School Website:you can also go to the school district website at www.northcrawford.com, where there is a button you can click on the homepage called ‘Referendum Survey’ that will link you to the survey.

• Facebook:The survey is also linked in a post on the school district’s Facebook page. 

• Hard Copy:If you would prefer to fill out a hard copy of the survey, copies can be obtained at the following locations:

• Post Offices in Gays Mills, Soldiers Grove, and Mt. Sterling

• Community Libraries in Gays Mills and Soldiers Grove

• Village Offices in Gays Mills and Soldiers Grove

• Royal Bank in Gays Mills

• People's State Bank in Soldiers Grove

• The District Office at North Crawford Schools.  

Completed surveys should be returned to the District Office at North Crawford Schools. The district is asking residents to only fill the survey out once. 

If you have any questions regarding the survey, or the referendum in general, you can contact Superintendent Brandon Munson directly via telephone at 608-735-7203, or email at bmunson@ncrawford.k12.wi.us