Frequently Asked Questions

Sebeka Public School has 420 students across grades K-12. Our students are given the foundation to succeed as lifelong learners. However, declining enrollment, inflation, reduced state and federal funding, and rising operating expenses are straining our ability to deliver a strong education. The 820 Plan addresses this need through a proposed operating referendum that would generate $842 per pupil for 10 years. If approved by district voters in November, the funding will bring financial stability, strengthen student opportunities, and maintain Sebeka’s status as a strong, competitive school district.

Sebeka Public School is strong, but to remain strong it requires community investment. We have been deficit spending and containing costs to maintain student opportunities, with an approximate deficit spending of $320,000 projected for next year without the help of the proposed operating referendum. This is not a sustainable way to protect our students and school.

Even after taking the following steps to reduce costs, this structural gap remains:

• Academic programs and student services: eliminated the FACS and foreign language programs and staff, reduced two elementary classroom teacher positions, eliminated high school intervention support and staff, discontinued the theatre program, paused show choir, and reduced summer FFA and band programming.

• Staffing and operations: reduced the media specialist position, food service staffing, and custodial support; reduced the account technician position to part time; reduced the MARSS/Ed-Fi coordinator position; and restructured mechanic and transportation director duties into part-time roles.

• Transportation: eliminated one bus route and driver position and summer transportation for targeted services, and delayed bus purchases.

• Purchasing and communications: delayed uniform and curriculum purchases, reduced laptop purchases, and reduced newspaper advertising.

Declining enrollment, state aid and grant reductions, inflation, and rising mandated costs continue to drive this shortfall — without new revenue, further cuts would mean reducing student programs, services, staffing, and opportunities even more.

If voters approve the referendum, Sebeka Public School would be able to maintain small class sizes, stabilize fund balance reserves, and sustain educational opportunities like 820online that will build our enrollment over time. The additional funding would also support early learning opportunities, classroom technology and instructional materials, and student activities and extracurricular programs.

If the referendum does not pass in November, our district’s financial challenges will not go away. Without this funding, we would face difficult choices — limiting school programming, stretching class sizes, or cutting more staff. These ongoing pressures would hinder our ability to deliver the quality education we strive for. Building on the cuts already made — including eliminating the FACS and foreign language programs, discontinuing theatre, and reducing teaching and support staff — further reductions would need to reach deeper into the core academic programs, activities, and staff positions families rely on today.

Great schools benefit our community and those who call it home. They help attract families, support local businesses, and strengthen the quality of life in our area. Sebeka Public School has been a source of community pride since 1895. The proposed referendum would allow our school to continue supporting a bright future for our students and our community.

Yes. We remain proactive and responsible by seeking creative ways to solve our funding challenges. Sebeka Public School has a strategy to grow enrollment by creating new, flexible learning options like 820online, and we have contained costs and made reductions to maintain student opportunities. The proposed referendum is the next step toward long-term stability.

Declining total enrollment doesn't mean every grade has fewer students — some individual grade levels still have enough students that splitting them into multiple sections best serves learning. The levy would allocate approximately $65,000–$80,000 specifically to preserve those sections where enrollment and student needs justify smaller class sizes, supporting more individualized instruction and stronger classroom engagement even as overall enrollment trends downward.