RANDOLPH — Not every question could be answered, but 150 people learned more about the Randolph School District referendum Nov. 3.
The referendum asks if the city and town of Fox Lake should detach from the Waupun Area School District and attach to the Randolph School District.
“The fact that we have this many people shows that you care,” said school board president Gary DeVries, who opened the meeting.
School board members and the administration could not advocate for or against the referendum. DeVries said that the purpose of the meeting was to try to answer some of the questions board members have heard.
Randolph district administrator Greg Peyer said that questions that could be answered were that the Randolph School District would not change its name, but that district residents could petition the school board for a name change in the future. The school board is made up of members who serve at large rather than representing a township or the village, so any resident of the district could be eligible to run for office.
Unanswered was the precise impact Fox Lake attaching to Randolph would be, because the division of assets and liabilities and the number of students who would attend school in Randolph is not known.
“It depends on how nice Waupun wants to be. I think it will be fairly amicable,” Peyer said of the two districts working to divide assets and liabilities if the referendum passes.
The Randolph and Waupun school districts shared the cost of a financial impact study by Robert W. Baird and Company. Baird and Co. director Michael Clark shared information from the study.
Fox Lake currently makes up about 28 percent of the assessed value of the Waupun Area School District, with between $280 to $300 million in property value, and shares in 28 percent of the district’s debt. Fox Lake has a public school population of about 232, which means that there is about $1.2 million in property valuation behind each student.
If Fox Lake were to attach to Randolph, it would bring its property value, but the division of debts and assets could be tied up for years if the districts could not come to an agreement.
Peyer said that the Randolph School District has about $217 million of property valuation, and slightly more than 500 students, which means that there is about $440,000 of property value behind each student.
If Fox Lake attaches to Randolph, the increase in property value means that the state would perceive Randolph as a rich district.
“You’ll see less state aid,” Clark said.
He said that the general fund tax levy for Randolph would increase because of lower state aid percentages and the higher revenue limit results in a higher levy authority. The debt fund tax levy would increase if a portion of Waupun’s debt comes with Fox Lake.
Questions from the audience ranged from the financial health of the Randolph School District, space needs, asking if Randolph would stay in the same athletic conferences, long-term building plans in Randolph and what the capacity limits are at Randolph High School.
“We are in very good shape compared to others,” Peyer said. “We have a healthy fund balance of just over $2 million, and the student count has stabilized.”
Peyer said that the high school could accommodate between 225 and 250 students, and currently has about 175 students. He said that there was not room at the elementary and middle schools in Randolph for more students.
Peyer repeatedly stressed that the meeting was for informational purposes only, and not a venue for people to advocate for or against the referendum.
Someone asked what the advantages would be for Randolph if Fox Lake attaches to the district.
Clark said the potential advantages include having a larger tax base to support any new debt and a larger student population that could mean more course offerings.
“If state funding for schools continues to shift more toward property value, having a larger tax base could be a benefit to the district,” said Clark.
Another question asked was if Randolph would guarantee that a school in Fox Lake would stay open.
Peyer said no.
“I can understand the frustrations,” DeVries said as the meeting ended. “I hope it was a help.”
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