What is the need for this technology referendum and why are we asking for technology funding?

The District’s most recent referendum providing supplemental technology funding was passed in April 2015 and ceases to provide funding beyond this June.  

The technology referendum of 2015 focused on implementation of a one-to-one mobile device program at the District’s middle and high schools.  As part of this program, the District purchased Chromebooks for each middle and high school student, expanded technology infrastructure and invested in technology training for staff. 

The Information & Technology Department, in collaboration with the finance committee, technology committee and District leadership team, have worked to propose a path forward to sustain technology across the District.  

In looking ahead, the District's goals reach further than the scope of the 2015 technology referendum.   Into 2019-20 and beyond, the District plans to sustain the middle and high school’s technology programs such that all students have an assigned device to use throughout the school day. We understand the importance of maintaining a learning environment where shortages of technology devices do not impede instruction and learning.  

Beyond this goal, though, we wish to sustain robust technology and appropriate quantities of student devices across the entire District.   The referendum question placed before voters this April will lay the framework for this to happen. 

Will this referendum cause property taxes to increase?

No.  Thanks to the School Board's long-range financial planning, the District will be able to accomplish the technology funding with no net increase in the current school property tax rate. 

How will this question look on my ballot?

The referendum question will read as follows on the ballots of District voters:

Shall the School District of Holmen be allowed to exceed the revenue limit specified in § 121.91, Wis. Stats., by up to $450,000 per year commencing with the 2019-2020 school year and continuing through the 2023-2024 school year on a non-recurring basis for the purpose of modernizing and maintaining a capable technology infrastructure, and providing information technology services and devices across the District?

How did the District decide to ask for $450,000 per year in this referendum question?

$450,000 annually, the amount sought in the proposed referendum, is the most the District is able to request over a five year term without causing the school property tax rate of District residents to increase.   The District’s board has a long-standing history of managing its finances such that the tax rate does not need to increase for District residents. $450,000 in annual funding will allow the District to accomplish its technology goals and continue delivering robust and reliable technology systems, devices and services to the District.

Why ask for the funding for a five year term instead of a shorter term or instead of recurring forever?

April's referendum question calls for five years of funding, rather than the four years requested in the 2015 technology referendum.  This proposed referendum question asks to sustain technology rather than bring a major new program into place. For this reason, the question requests less funding per year and does so over a longer period of time.

The District decided not to ask for this funding recurring forever because the District's technology needs and costs tend to vary over time.  This happens as technology advances, and as the District's systems and instructional practices evolve.   By seeking funding for a defined period of time, we can return to voters after five years to explain how much technology funding is needed for the future and assure our taxpayers that we are not asking for more or less dollars than are needed to sustain quality technology across the District. 

I have a student at one of Holmen's elementary schools.  Will this referendum benefit him or her?

Yes. The proposed referendum question encompasses technology across the entire District in its scope.  The question does not limit use of voter-approved funding strictly to our middle and high schools as was the case in the 2015 referendum.  

Sustaining robust networks and readily available access to modern technology devices is important for all learners across the District.  Staff also leverage these technologies to keep the District operating efficiently. Teachers depend on technology to prepare and deliver relevant and meaningful instruction to students.  For these reasons, we are seeking technology funding that can benefit our District as a whole.

What can and can't the funds requested in this referendum be spent on?

Funds made available through this referendum can be used for technology infrastructure, services and devices.  Within this scope, examples of expenses that referendum funds could support include:

• The purchase and refresh of Chromebooks and iPads across our grade levels
• Upkeep and replacement of classroom computers and audiovisual technology
• Technology staffing, including the helpdesk specialists serving our schools
• Upkeep of and upgrades to the District’s network in order to ensure robust, reliable connectivity throughout District facilities
• Technology professional development for staff
• Repair of District-owned tech devices used by students
• Software and subscription services, including a learning management system, used to deliver instructional resources to students electronically

Though funds acquired as part of this referendum would be eligible for use across the District, they are limited in use to technology-related purposes. 

Why is another referendum question going on the ballot now when we just had a referendum in November?

State law limits the number of referendum questions the District may place on a single ballot to two.  For this reason, we could not add this April's technology question to the November 2018 ballot.   While referendum questions can vary in scope and breadth, the types of questions asked this past fall could not be merged with this technology question to avoid a separate referendum this April.

Is this question asking for more technology funding than the District currently has available?

No.  Presently the District's technology funding consists of a base technology budget not tied to a referendum, supplemented by 2015 referendum funding supporting our middle and high school's 1:1 technology program. Current supplemental referendum funding, expiring  in June, is $655,000 annually.  The April referendum asks for $450,000 annually beginning this July.

How is the District able to get by with less supplemental technology funding going forward than what was made available through the 2015 referendum?

The 2015 referendum funded many substantial costs associated with starting up the District's 1:1 program.  This included major network expansion and extensive staff development. Now that this program is fully operational, we can continue to make sure each student at our middle and high school has access to technology while using less funding than was allocated in the expiring 2015 referendum.

What happens if this referendum doesn't pass?

The District would begin making cuts to its technology programs and staffing to work within its remaining base technology budget.  In this scenario, total technology funds would be approximately half of what they are today.  Spending cuts needed to allow the technology budget to balance in this scenario could include the scaling back or elimination of the middle and high school 1:1 program.  Student technology at these schools may move to a less costly system using shared carts of student devices. At least one technology staff position currently providing tech assistance and student device repairs would be also be eliminated.

The technology department would continue supporting District-wide technology operations with its present annual non-referendum budget of approximately $696,000.  These dollars would now be stretched thinner than the past several years, as they would need to support the purchase of shared student technology devices and tech infrastructure maintenance at the middle and high schools in addition to the rest of the District.  Middle and high school tech infrastructure and devices have been funded in large part by the 2015 technology referendum for the past four years, allowing non-referendum District technology dollars to maintain stronger infrastructure and device offerings at our elementary schools.  

How will the referendum have a positive impact on instruction in the District?

Sustaining properly maintained and modernized technology infrastructure, services and devices across the District helps to positively impact instruction in many ways.  A few examples are shared here:

• Increasing numbers of textbooks used across the District are now published online in an electronic format.   The online versions of these textbooks offer more accessible versions of content, better for students with varying academic needs.  
• For many students, technology promotes and allows for greater engagement in learning
• When integrated in instruction, technology allows students to learn at the District’s schools in the same methods frequently utilized in post-secondary settings
• Technology provides teachers an efficient means of individualizing instruction for specific students.

Classrooms outfitted with modern display and audio technology provide an optimal environment for students to experience and understand the content being taught.  Poor technology can cause interruptions in teaching. In a room without appropriate and functional audio amplification technology, students may be unable to hear the teacher.  In a room with poor display technology, students may be unable to see content shown on a dim, aging projector or undersized display.

With proper technology, students can create digital content and collaborate with peers unimpeded by slow network connections, faulty devices, or outdated applications.  When technology is up-to-date and devices are readily available for use, students can research subject matter on the Internet instantaneously. Students can open advanced media creation and technical drawing programs in seconds, enabling them to work in an environment similar or identical to a professional in their area of study.

What steps have been taken to optimize technology spending and assure money is not wasted?  

Since 2015, the I&T department has taken several actions to lower recurring expenses, targeting spending that has no or minimal impact on our learners:

• Warranty enhancements and service contracts on network switching equipment across the District were eliminated, channeling the support of this equipment to existing technical staff and saving approximately $31,000 per year.  
• A fiber optic network was constructed, linking five of the District’s seven instructional facilities with high-speed data connections offering unlimited speeds.  These new District-owned connections had a substantial upfront cost, but were paid in full upon construction. The now-completed network eliminates the need to lease data connections from service providers for all but two schools, saving approximately $25,000 per year.
• Excessive printers are being eliminated across the District.  This process will conclude prior to summer, with over 40 printers removed.  Printing is now handled by high-volume printers and printer/copier units offering per-page costs less than half that of many of the removed devices.  The District continues to promote systems and processes that decrease the use of paper and printing.
• Re-configuration of the District’s phone system to route outside voice calls over the Internet, saving approximately $10,000 annually
• Cancellation of unneeded service and software contracts for central IT operations, saving approximately $8,000 annually
• Reduction to District print shop staffing by two hours per day, saving approximately $15,000 annually.
• Transition to a new content management system for the District’s website, saving approximately $15,000 annually

Beyond the above cost-reduction steps, the implementation of the District’s middle and high school 1:1 technology program had major upfront costs involving the purchase of network equipment, installation of cabling and outside engineering services to implement extensive network upgrades.  Such updates to a network are not required annually now that our 1:1 program is in operation.   Equipment will receive future upgrades in staged increments so as to avoid major expenses over a short period of time, as was experienced upon the 1:1 program’s kickoff and immediately prior.

What other options have been evaluated to fund technology?

The usage of grants to fund technology has been examined.  The state has a personal electronic computing device matching grant, made available to school districts beginning this year.  The grant provides $125 per pupil in a District's eighth grade class in any given year. This grant on its own cannot sustain a 1:1 program, even in concert with the District’s base technology budget, but it does offset a small percentage of our technology expenses and thereby reduces the amount of funding we must seek through a referendum.

The possibility of using the District’s existing technology budget without supplemental referendum funding was explored.  Unfortunately, it is not possible for a 1:1 program to be completely sustained on the total budget available in this scenario.  This is in large part due to the considerable resources required to support other critical technology infrastructure in the District. Presently, supplemental funding from the 2015 technology referendum accounts for approximately half of the District's total technology spending.

The potential reallocation of other District funds for technology was examined and found not to be feasible.  This is due to current projects in progress throughout the District along with other critical needs demanding funds in the foreseeable future. For these reasons, new funding would is required in order to sustain our middle and high school’s 1:1 program into the future, and the District is pursuing this referendum.

What if I have additional questions?

You may email questions to referendum@holmen.k12.wi.us.   You may also reach out to District Administrator Dr. Kristin Mueller or Director of Information & Technology Greg Krueger by calling our District Office at 608-526-6610.