Appoquinimink voters give a yes to school funding boosts in revised referendum

Last year, voters said no.

After a December 2023 vote, Superintendent Matthew Burrows said voters’ rejection of referendum measures makes it impossible for Appoquinimink to keep up with "rapid" growth. That's about 17% in the last five years.

The money would have gone to building new schools, improving safety, investing in technology and increasing teacher salaries to boost retention, he explained. Without it, the New Castle County district stares down coming up with roughly $5 million in cost reductions. Cuts would likely impact classroom support, after-school activities, sports and more.

Tuesday, the district once again laid out its two-part request.

Both came slightly modified. One ask was operational — looking to keep up growth through teacher recruitment, safety improvements and investment in technology — and the other related to capital spending, aiming to expand facilities. That's a requested increase of 39.9 cents for every $100 in assessed property value.

Voters gave a green light. With record turnout.

Votes Tuesday night landed 56% in favor of the operations ask, with another 57% nodding yes on the capital spending plan. That's out of over 13,000 votes cast, according to unofficial results, what the district called a record.

“I’m thrilled and relieved that this referendum has passed,” Superintendent Matt Burrows said in a statement Tuesday night.

“We are at a pivotal crossroads in our district. This vote ensures we can continue to deliver the highest-quality education to our growing district. Most importantly, this referendum ensures we can support our teachers and staff through more competitive compensation."

School Board President Michelle Wall agreed in the same press release, adding, “Our community has shown that they believe in the Appoquinimink School District and the work that we are doing. As a school board, we understood the gravity of this ask — but we also knew the importance.”

Marching orders for the district now no longer include a bus lot project, while cutting about 3 cents pledged to technology improvements — like full implementation of 1:1 devices for all K-12 students — but it's a clear win for a few projects Appo shared.

Capital projects will include:

• A middle school and high school on the Summit Campus — expected to open in fall 2028, if plans keep
• An elementary school on Green Giant Road — expected to open by fall 2028

And on the operational side:

• Educator recruitment and retention
• School safety
• Operating expenses associated with enrollment growth
• Student devices

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Four, yes. Two, no.

So has been the record this year for referendum votes in Delaware. February saw nearly 4 out of every 5 Brandywine voters approve an operational referendum; then, Red Clay voters loudly approved operation and capital-project requests at roughly 71% each, just one day before Colonial's would do the same.

Come March, two districts didn't ride the same wave. Smyrna schools saw funding requests rejected, with over half the votes coming against each ask, while Cape Henlopen voters delivered a similar result at the end of the month.

Appo joined the yeses this week. Next up, Cape and Smyrna hope to see voters change their minds on its referendum hopes.

Cape set May 21 for its next attempt, trimming down previous requests. The Sussex County system will now seek 39.1 cents per $100 of assessed value, tightened from 54.9 cents per $100 previously rejected. This encompasses a debt service and operating expense referendum.

"Enrollment issues continue to be the main reason more funds are needed," wrote the district having ballooned some 59% from 2001 to September 2023. And, the district said, "population studies show that the enrollment will continue to increase significantly over the next 10 years."

And ahead of the referendum, Cape also told voters it needs to secure new district office space so the high school can expand, as well as to secure new land for future expansion and a bus maintenance facility. Looking ahead, the high school is already overcapacity.

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Smyrna also has a revised referendum in sight — now set for June 6.

Citing critical need, the district is now seeking just over $4.1 million in local funds for building a new 600-student intermediate school on Rabbit Chase Lane, after inflation pressure brought the cost of previously approved capital projects.

This adjusted request makes no mention of other supports previously included, such as expanding and converting Clayton Intermediate School to Clayton Middle School and expanding North Elementary, or operating expenses like constables, mental health supports, salaries and technology enhancements.

Got a story? Contact Kelly Powers at kepowers@gannett.com or (231) 622-2191, and follow her on Twitter @kpowers01.