THOMPSON, N.D.-Thompson residents will vote Tuesday on an $11 million school renovation project.
Superintendent John Maus said he hopes the bond referendum, which will add more elementary classrooms, a gym and a career and technical education wing, among other improvements, will be a 25-30 year answer for the K-12 school.
This is the third time voters have hit the polls since 2012 to consider major improvements to the school, where student enrollment is expected to grow 32 percent over the next decade.
For a home valued at $200,000, the estimated annual increase would be $602 for the next 20 years. For residents with agricultural property, the increase is estimated at $2.98 per acre each year.
Maus has been making the rounds in town to reach voters, offering to answer questions at churches and a farmers cooperative meeting, he said. A 60 percent vote in favor of the project is required for the referendum to pass.
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Has he ever gone this far to reach voters?
"Not to this length," he said.
One reason he's pushing himself is because he feels the plan is a strong one for the school's future, he said. Previous attempts, which proposed less costly changes, may have been a little short-sighted, he said.
Residents have supported past referendums but not quite enough to pass them. In 2012, a $3.4 million referendum received a 50 percent vote and a $4.5 million expansion received a 52 percent vote in 2013.
The current referendum carries the biggest price tag so far, but "this one we feel prepares us for the next quarter century," Maus said.
If the project is approved, construction at the high school would begin next spring, Maus said.
