Arrowhead voters to decide on $261.2 million facilities referendum, $7.6 million operational referendum in November

Arrowhead Union High School District voters will not only have a president to vote for in November, but also two referendum questions.

The Arrowhead School Board voted July 10 to put a $261.2 million facilities referendum question on the ballot. The board also decided to put an operational referendum question to voters, which would raise an additional $1.9 million per year for four years for a total of $7.6 million.

Here's what to know about the referendum questions, both of which will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot.

What would Arrowhead get for its $261.2 million facilities referendum?

The referendum would fund the construction of a single new high school building on the existing Arrowhead site, which would replace the school's current two buildings, North Campus and South Campus. If approved, the new school would include these features the current school is lacking, according to a news release from the district:

• Modern academic and student collaboration spaces

• Appropriately sized cafeteria

• Competition pool and auditorium spaces

• Indoor space for athletic co-curricular programming

Currently, ninth- and 10th-grade students take most of their classes at South Campus while 11th- and 12th-grade students take most of their classes at North Campus, according to Arrowhead superintendent Conrad Farner.

"Throughout the day, we have students in all grades traveling between the buildings.  It all depends on where/when some classes are offered and individual schedules.  With 2000 students, to get the classes they want, some students end up going between the buildings," Farner wrote in an email to a reporter.

There are safety concerns about staff and students traveling between the two buildings, as well as inefficiencies caused by duplications in staffing and unused space, the release said. Farner said he wasn't sure of the distance between the two buildings, but said it takes about eight minutes to walk.

Farner said he was not sure exactly when construction would begin if the referendum is successful, but estimated it would be 12 to 18 months for design, permits and other preparations "before shovels hit the dirt." He also said the specific location on the existing site where the new school would go has not been determined.

"If the referendum passes, a new building could be built either at South or North.  It will depend on a variety of factors, many of which we likely have not even considered, yet," Farner said.

Farner said the most likely scenario for the old buildings is to tear them down to make room for parking and athletic fields.

Arrowhead has not had major facilities investments since 1999, according to a district presentation about the school's facilities.

The facilities referendum would have an estimated tax impact of $1.91 per $1,000 of property value. The owner of a $400,000 home would pay an additional $764 in school taxes if the facilities referendum passes.

The board decided to send the referendum to voters after multiple community listening sessions, presentations, board workshops and community survey, the release said.

What are the details of the Arrowhead operating referendum?

If approved, the district would receive an additional $1.9 million over four years starting in the 2025-26 school year and ending in the 2028-29 school year, according to the operating referendum resolution.

The funds would support educational, operational and maintenance expenses. The estimated tax impact of the operating referendum itself would be 2 cents per $1,000 of property value. The owner of a $400,000 home would pay an additional $8 in school taxes if the operational referendum passes.

“Adequate operational funding is crucial to the success of AHS,” said Arrowhead Director of Business Services Jeff Gross in the news release. “State funding has not kept up with inflation since 2009, while cost increases for utilities, insurance, supplies, transportation, special education and other services have not subsided. Absent painful budget cuts, operating referendums are the only way to maintain the essential services for student learning.”

What's the estimated tax impact if both questions pass?

If both questions pass, the estimated tax impact would be an additional $1.93 per $1,000 of property value. The owner of a $400,000 home would pay an additional $772 in school taxes annually.

The district's 2023-24 tax rate was $1.81 per $1,000 of property value.

When was the district's last referendum?

The district's last referendum was in November 2020, when voters narrowly approved an operational referendum providing $1.7 million per year for five years, totaling $8.5 million. The funds focused on high-priority needs in technology, facility and site infrastructure improvements.

Before 2020, voters rejected two previous referendums on their ballots.

In April 2017, voters rejected a $36.68 million referendum that would have have funded campus maintenance improvements and instructional area upgrades.

In November 2016, voters turned down a $64.7 million referendum that would have funded classroom and instructional area renovations, as well as a new swimming pool and expanded auditorium. A $173,000 operating referendum question that would have funded the operating costs for the new pool and expanded auditorium was also rejected.

Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Facility, operational referendums on ballot for Arrowhead voters