On April 4, Rosendale-Brandon School District voters approved two referendum questions. Question one, the operational referendum, authorizes the School District budget to exceed the revenue limit by $1,500,000 per year for two years for non-recurring purposes. The “unofficial results” for the question were 1,539 Yes to 1,084 No.

Question two, the Capital Referendum authorizes the District to invest $35.7 million into improvements at the current Rosendale Intermediate site to serve district-wide grades 4K-5 and the current Laconia High location to serve grades 6-12. The “unofficial results” for the question were 1,392 Yes to 1,234 No. Improvements for the future elementary building include an addition for classrooms and collaboration spaces to allow the District to maintain small class sizes and create optimal learning spaces for the District’s youngest learners. At Laconia, a new high school wing with classrooms and commons will be added and the existing high school classrooms will be renovated to serve middle school students. The career, tech ed, and agriculture spaces will see a substantial renovation with a new greenhouse added. District-wide safety and security improvements will be made including rerouting traffic by adding a connection road to bypass Highway 26 and Highway 23 for parent and bus traffic.

Superintendent Wayne Weber expressed his excitement that the referendum had been approved and thanked the community for its support, “It is very exciting for our District to have the support of our communities as we invest in our schools. As we move forward, we will involve staff and continue to engage our community. Together, we will continue to succeed both in and out of the classroom while building our future.”

Weber said the next step for the District would be to work with the School Board, Plunkett Raysich Architects, and C.D. Smith Construction to finalize the projects’ plans. Construction of the approved plan is targeted for fall of 2025.

Please continue to visit the District’s website at www.rbsd.us./referendum for progress updates.