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HSSD adds land at annual meeting

By Ben Rodgers
Editor

SUAMICO – The Howard-Suamico School District increased its footprint with a land purchase at the annual school board meeting Monday, Sept. 24.

District electors agreed to purchase roughly 10 acres of land located directly in front of Bay Port High School on Lineville Road and Rockwell Lane for $1.9 million.

“Acquiring the land would provide us some balance, some space if you will, to truly finish the realization of education and being a lead district in the state of Wisconsin,” said Matt Spets, assistant superintendent of operations. “It just kind of makes sense.”

This money for the purchase comes from two areas.

The first is the sale to a developer of 21 acres of land between Glendale and Shawano avenues in which the district netted more than $300,000.

The second source is the district’s restricted or committed fund.

This fund is completely separate from the operational referendum that passed in April. It can only be used for a new school, a major school remodel or the purchase of land for a new school.

“We try to connect things that are completely unrelated, because we’re a public school, that’s normal, why are we doing this and asking for that, but technically they’re apart, they’re separate issues,” Spets said.

Spets made reference to the newest class of kindergarteners, which is on pace to graduate in 2031. He said this move is geared toward their future and beyond.

“The last thing we want is a Burger King to be built in front of Bay Port High School, and imagine the possibilities for kids, the business partnerships with us if we were to expand in other ways,” he said.

Spets said the district has no immediate plans for the land, but the possibility of a building dedicated to computers, coding and app development isn’t outside the realm of possibility.

He went on to say the district has benefited this year from an increase in the low revenue cap and a one-time increase in per pupil funding.

Both things were unable to be factored in the planning for the referendum because they were unknown variables at that time.

“We’re in a new reality of finance or school funding in Wisconsin,” Spets said. “It’s changed a couple times in the last five to six years alone. Every state biennium process, if you will, the rules change a little bit, and at no time since 1993 have they changed the rules as much as they have in the last few years.”

In other news, the electors went on to approve the 2018-19 tax levy of $25,652,940.

The district is still able to keep the same $9.19 per $1,000 tax rate that it has had since the 2015-16 school year.

Superintendent Damian LaCroix also gave a state of the district presentation where he highlighted numerous accomplishments by the district, teachers and students in the 2017-18 school year.

School board members also got a raise at the meeting for the first time since the 2015-16 school year.

The board president’s pay increased from $3,269 to $4,400, the pay for clerk went from $3,014 to $4,000 and the pay for treasurer, vice president and directors went from $2,844 to $3,800.

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