Abbotsford School District officially headed to referendum in April
By Neal Hogden
The Abbotsford School Board will officially be going to referendum after the board voted to approve a resolution for providing for a referendum election on April 2. The referendum will allow the public to choose whether or not the district can authorize the issuance of general obligation bonds not to exceed $17 million.
With this referendum, the district would not be asking the public to fund the athletic field turf project, solar panels or a larger expansion to the cafeteria, commons and fitness center areas.
The referendum instead will cover much needed infrastructure upgrades, expansion to classroom and kitchen areas to meet increasing enrollment and other out-dated facility needs. During the referendum process, District Administrator Ryan Bargender has touted that the referendum comes at a perfect time. He projected that the debt the district would accrue through a passed referendum in April would allow the school to take on the $17 million in debt while also keeping the school district mill rate at $8.92/$1,000 in property value or $892 in district taxes per year for a $100,000 home.
A presentation by Kevin Mullen of Baird Public Finance at the board’s November meeting confirmed the projections as he said the district would be looking to keep the mill rate the same for the foreseeable future. According to Mullen, the $17 million referendum would have the district making payments on the debt until the 2043-2044
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A CAREER OF SERVING KIDS - Frankie Soto, left, receives a plaque from District Administrator Ryan Bargender at the Abbotsford School Board meeting on December 18. The board recognized Soto for his 27.5 years of service to the Abbotsford School District.
SUBMITTED PHOTO Referendum
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school year.
Other business
n The Abbotsford School Board approved a pair of program co-ops for next year.
A co-op with Colby will provide students at Abbotsford High School the opportunity to participate in trap shooting. Program coordinator Dan Hederer attended the board meeting and spoke to members about the program. The trap team will be fully funded and advised by the Colby gun club and Hederer.
The team participates in the spring and allows students to shoot trap at Papa O’s Gun Farm in Colby while competing against other trap shooters from across the state. The program also allows students to compete for a chance to compete at the state trap shoot which has traditionally been held at the WTA shooting complex in Rome. The complex includes 30 trap fields and an Olympic bunker for international-style trap shooting.
The other co-op that was approved by the board was a hockey co-op with Medford for the 2024-2025 season. Abbotsford parents will be tasked with transporting hockey players to Medford for home and away games.
n The board approved the retirement of longtime Food Service Director Frankie Soto and presented him with a plaque at the meeting. Soto served the Abbotsford School District for 27.5 years.
The board also approved the school calendar for the 2024-2025 school year, pending the Department of Public Instruction review. The school year is scheduled to begin August 26, 2024 and end May 28, 2025. Students will get 11 days off during the Christmas and New Year’s break as well as a full week off for spring break.
