Student, parents or members of the Arrowhead community may be wondering “What’s Next?” after Arrowhead’s most recent facilities referendum was rejected during the early April referendum.
The most recent April referendum was a facility referendum which, if passed, would have seen demolition of the South Campus and consolidation of both campuses into one, as well as other important facility and security improvements and repairs.
While current students may not feel any effect on the curriculum or academics at Arrowhead because of the unsuccessful April referendum, compounding facility problems may see funds that could be used for academics directed to repairs and maintenance.
“Programs are more impacted by declining enrollment, which about 2/3rds of districts across the state are facing,” Conrad Farner, Arrowhead superintendent, said. “The revenue we are able to capture due to that successful referendum will help us maintain our programs to a much better degree, although declining enrollment can still impact our offerings.”
The most direct academic impact of the April referendum would be less attractive facilities, leading to declining enrollment resulting in less overall revenue for the school.
“As fewer students enroll, funding goes down so eventually staff reductions have to be made, which at some point likely means some courses can no longer be offered, or they are offered less frequently, or some courses end up being combined with others,” Farner said. “Many districts, including Arrowhead, use the state’s Open Enrollment program to allow students who do not live within the district boundaries to enroll, which helps offset the decline in resident enrollment and therefore helps maintain existing programs.”
April’s facilities referendum may not have an immediate impact on students’ education or course availability but impacts Arrowhead as a whole. Arrowhead’s facilities are a key part of maintaining the student population, which is a key factor when dealing with course availability and offerings.
“While the referendum may not directly lead to cuts to any programs for now, our facilities certainly do not attract new students/families to our learning environments,” Sue Casetta, Arrowhead Director of Learning, said. “Knowing the outcome of these elections, we will plan with the school board and community in order to consider what new programs/courses can be offered in the current school setting and which current or new/future programs will be eliminated as a result of facilities not being able to support the learning in a quality way.”
Other factors like inflation outpacing Arrowhead’s fixed state funding is also impactful when considering budgets and referendum costs.
“The operational referendum that they passed in the fall was probably the most important for maintaining current instructional programs, because of teachers,” Mr. Corry, Arrowhead teacher and Science Department Program leader, said. “Often to maintain the classroom experience, the things that get ‘put away’ are the maintenance things.”
November 2024’s successful operational referendum prevents operational and staff downsizing but does not go to fixing aging facilities.
“Any dollars that go into repairing or maintaining these two aging facilities doesn’t go into growing programs, retaining staff, resources, etc.,” Adam Kurth, Arrowhead Principal, said. “Current students will most likely not feel the effect, but as funding continues to decrease and our buildings continue to age, if we aren’t attracting students, staff, etc, eventually there is an impact on the quality and quantity of what we can offer.”
This impacts students as it will limit any curricular and facilitative expansion.
“The bright spot now is that the community approved the four-year, $1.9 million operational referendum,” Kurth said. “ This will help us maintain most of what we do here for the next 3-4 years.”
