At its December 17 meeting, the Silver Lake Jt 1 Board of Education approved placing a referendum question on the April 1, 2025 ballot to address critical Riverview Elementary School facility needs.
According to district officials, the proposal addresses three key areas: infrastructure, safety, and learning spaces. The ballot question seeks voter approval for projects totaling $7 million. If approved by the voters, the proposal will add an estimated $13.75 per month or $165 per year to property taxes, for $300,000 property.
A recent community survey conducted by Silver Lake-Salem Jt. 1 School District revealed that 59.6% of all respondents and 90% of school families support a proposed $7 million capital referendum.
“The District has many deferred maintenance and security needs that must be addressed to protect our students, staff, and the integrity of our school building and grounds. These are large-scale projects such as roofs, heating and ventilating, and security that simply can’t be paid out of a single year’s operating budget,” said Superintendent Kim Taylor.
“We were very pleased that the survey revealed that the community would support a referendum. The Board and I took that as a positive signal to move forward to referendum.”
The Board unanimously approved the resolution and ballot question.
At the meeting, Taylor said that the district will begin an information campaign after the first of the year about the proposal to help all voters make an informed decision on April 1, 2025 ballot question.