Breen: Here's the rest of the Cape referendum story

In advance of the next Cape Henlopen School District referendum May 21, some information to share:

• There are nine Sussex County school districts. Cape Henlopen is the one crying out that it is in a dire financial crisis. Have not all nine districts been dealing with the same 1974 property value assessments, similar capital projects and comparable student population growth increases?
• In Delaware, when property values are reassessed, state law allows school districts to immediately increase revenues by 10% without a referendum. If Cape Henlopen is in “desperation mode,” why hasn’t the superintendent proposed a one-time revenue increase for Jan. 1, 2025, when the reassessment goes into effect, to minimize the looming crisis?
• If Sussex County is committed to handling the reassessment in a revenue-neutral manner, the reassessments would be applied across the board Jan. 1, 2025, and it would be simple arithmetic to determine everyone’s property tax. Instead, Sussex County wants to muddy the waters and continue what it was sued for for another 12-plus years: the newer buyers subsidizing the longer-term owners.

How have the other superintendents and school boards effectively dealt with the exact same circumstances of operations, capital improvements, student population growth, inflation, etc.?

The Cape Henlopen School District knows it cannot squeeze the federal or state governments for more. Does it believe it’s easier to squeeze the 50% of its residents who are retired and living on fixed incomes?

The district wants its cake and to eat it, too!

David Breen

Angola Neck

Reader reactions, pro or con, are welcomed at civiltalk@iniusa.org .