Voters in Caesar Rodney School District looked down at three items on their ballots on Saturday in a special referendum — deciding whether their system would raise school taxes.
The proposed 27.7% increase, spread over three years, was slated to help fund utilities, maintenance, building budgets, staffing and more.
But voters said no.
Referendum measures focused on capital improvement and operating costs.
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Here are the main points, rejected across the board by voters April 22:
- HVAC systems at Magnolia Middle School need total replacement. Well past its useful life, according to the district, this 25-year-old system must be replaced at nearly $14 million. (As voters rejected these tax increases, the district has said it will not receive any state funding share — over $11 million of the projected cost.)
- Magnolia Middle and David E. Robinson Elementary schools were opened in fiscal year 2022 with no additional operating revenue. Costs like utilities, maintenance, building budgets and staffing still need to be considered, the district said.
- Caesar Rodney also hoped to keep pace with its district’s growth and further expansion — aiming to maintain a 1:1 device-to-student ratio, meet increased payroll expenses, as well as covering heightened transportation operations and more.
For the average taxpayer owning a house with an assessed value of $40,300, taxes would have increased by $211.58 in 2024 and another $36.11 in 2025 and 2026, according to the school district’s breakdown.
The last similar request was approved by voters in 2015. But between 2002 and that decision, voters rejected three other proposals from the Kent County district.
The results of this election remain unofficial until certification.
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Superintendent Christine Alois said Caesar Rodney has grown by over 500 students since the last referendum passed in 2015. Inflation has been tightening budgets across the board. And the system already hosts the smallest per-pupil revenue among Kent County districts.
While these administrators have to balance budgets, improve school facilities and keep pace with growth — many residents are also still awaiting possible tax hikes in the wake of Delaware’s first property reassessment in decades.
As Alois said ahead of the weekend vote, if efforts did not pass, “the issues of maintenance and operational needs will not go away.”
