Deerfield OKs tax increase for schools

Samara Kalk Derby  —  9/09/2008 9:35 pm

Deerfield passed a referendum allowing its School District to exceed its spending limits.

The measure passed 422 to 265.

"We are thrilled, absolutely thrilled," said Superintendent Michelle Jensen, celebrating at the Pickle Tree restaurant in Deerfield Tuesday night.

The five year nonrecurring referendum begins at $275,000 in year one and increases $50,000 each of the next four years.

The first year the impact on taxpayers will be about $70 per $100,000 of assessed home value. In subsequent years it will be less.

The Deerfield Community School District has 730 students and is located 15 miles east of Madison.

"This is a wonderful start for us to really spend some time and money to address our most immediate needs. We are very, very excited. We feel really positive," she said.

The school district had four areas of focus: instruction, technology, facilities and daily operations, Jensen said.

With instruction, the district is looking to replace its outdated textbooks and curriculum and maintain its small class sizes. With technology, it is looking to provide up-to-date, current, technology for students.

In terms of facilities, the building that houses the middle school and high school was built in 1967. The original portion has needed infrastructure improvements, including plumbing, electrical and HVAC.

The track is 30 years old and needs some reconstruction. The 15-year-old roof also needs attention.

"We had a very active group of citizens that came together eight months ago and spent eight months looking at all the needs of the district. They were vital in terms of putting this plan together. They came to the board with the referendum plan and the board backed that plan unanimously," Jensen said.

Samara Kalk Derby  —  9/09/2008 9:35 pm