OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — The Omro School District will be asking voters to approve two referendums on the November ballot; raising property taxes to pay for school expansions, building renovations and higher teacher salaries.
- Voters will decide on a $26.5 million capital referendum and an operational referendum of $1.9 million each year for five years.
- The money would go towards renovating the H.B Patch Elementary School building as well update security in all Omro Schools.
- Some property owners in the area are eager to help the school but wary about a rise in expenses.
The $26.5 million capital referendum would pay for renovations of the H.B Patch Elementary School building, which is home to the district's early learning, 4K, First and Second grade schooling.
For H.B Patch principal Dave Wellhoefer, there is currently not enough space for his staff to adequately run the programs.
“There's a lot of things that happen in a very small space," he says.
Wellhoefer says the only staff lounge is also the server closet, custodial office and copy room.
Without enough storage space inside the building, teachers store extra material in a separated garage, which Wellhoefer says exposes the material to weather damage.
"Very small space, classrooms, not a lot of storage," Kelly Kozlosky, a 4K teacher at H.B Patch, says. "We're sharing things between all of us just because we don't have the space to keep a lot of things in our own classroom. We make it work, but it looks a little crazy sometimes."
Currently, the 4K is a half-day program, but with approval of the capital referendum, the district would be able to provide full-day 4K programming.
Kozlosky says not only would a full day program be beneficial for the students' development, but it would also provide an extra source of childcare for the community.
“Bringing those kiddos in and not having the community have to look for additional resources, we will give them to you, we will help you," she says.
The capital referendum would also fund security updates on the entrances of H.B Patch and Omro Elementary, Middle and High School.
With the referendum money, an expansion would be constructed at Omro Elementary school for additional classroom space.
The other ballot question asks for $1.9 million each year over the next five years.
Superintendent Dr. Jay Jones says the referendum will provide funding to maintain the current programming.
It will also keep staff salaries competitive enough with surrounding districts to retain and recruit teachers.
“If we lose staff we potentially lose programming, and then we certainly can’t expand which would be very beneficial to the community," Wellhoefer says.
Omro School District voters passed a referendum in 2020 as well.
Shawna Haydin, a property owner with a child in the Omro School District, says she still remembers the burden of the 2020 referendum.
“Our tax bill went from like $1600 to $2200," she says. "We want to support the school, we love the district, love our community, just nervous about all of the extra costs that would hit us.”
Janine and Jeff King have been homeowners for over 30 years and have put multiple kids through Omro Schools.
While Janine says she has rarely voted to approve referendums in the past, she will approve those on the November 2024 ballot.
"I think at this time it's very important," she says. "Patch Elementary is going to be having a new entrance for security, they're doing updates for electrical– very basic things that you need in a school."
Jeff, on the other hand, has always voted to approve the referendums.
“I think keeping up on community schools is important for us," he says. "We need to get behind it, keep the schools up to date.”
If both referendums pass, property taxes would increase by $133 annually for every $100,000 of assessed property value.
Dr. Jones says because of inadequate funding from the state, the school district had no choice but to ask for another referendum.
“We understand that inflation is a real thing, but at the same time when we have revenue limits and we're not funded from the state to the level that we should have, we're really kind of backed into a corner," he says.
The district is having an informational session on the referendums on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. at Omro Middle/High School.
A full informational packet on both referendums can be found here.
**Editor's note: A previous version of this article stated the referendum would expand the H.B Patch Elementary school, but there will be only renovations on the building. Instead, an expansion at Omro Elementary School will be funded through the referendum.
