A school district has a long road ahead of it to regain the trust of its community.
The district apparently made an honest mistake in calculating the increase in property taxes for its referendum to fund a new high school. After the referendum passed with 54 percent of the vote, taxpayers saw tax bills that were much higher than previously communicated.
I thought the district’s apology was sincere, although it could have been much more succinct. The superintendent admitted that “the impact to individual property owners was unexpected and not well understood” and that “we failed.”
Unfortunately for the taxpayers who felt misled, there’s little recourse. According to the district’s FAQ, the referendum can’t be reversed, and a new referendum can’t replace the other referendum.
As a result, I don’t think anyone involved with the referendum needs to resign. The people who made the mistake need to be the ones who fix it.
What are the potential next steps for the district? First, it should obviously avoid holding any referendums for several years. This likely would have been the case anyway, but the district must understand that it is in no position to be asking for more money now or in the near future.
Next, the district should develop new procedures to improve communication accuracy. For example, it needs to make sure that all information is thoroughly researched/vetted by experts, and that all facts are cited. The district should form a citizen advisory committee to be involved.
Lastly, the district should focus most of its messaging right now on reminding the community of the value that the new high school will provide. The taxpayers may not have liked the process, but hopefully, they can appreciate the end result.