Morris High School District 101 Board narrowly keeps $126 million building referendum off March ballot

Members of the Morris Community High School District 101 Board weren’t positive the referendum to pass a $126 million bond issue had the public support it needed to pass in the March election, and a 3-3 vote kept it off the ballot.

Board members Todd Mettille, Mike Wright and Scot Hastings voted to keep the measure off the ballot, while members Matt Eber, Chris Danek and Lynn Vermillion voted in favor of putting the question to voters in March.

This $126 million would have been used to build a brand-new school in phases, which would see portions built in the location of the current school while students occupied the parts of the old building that weren’t being worked on.

The 101Next committee, the committee created for the project, hosted an open house sharing the concerns and work needed back in October.

Wright said he’s spoken to a number of people, including people on the committee, who didn’t see how the referendum would pass by March.

He said a survey of 810 people conducted by Creative Entourage that showed a 50-50 split among the public caught an audience that was generally more supportive than the rest of the public.

Wright also said that doesn’t mean he’s against the resolution. He said he’s in favor of the referendum himself, but he doesn’t want it put to the public until it’s more obvious there’s public support to spend that kind of money.

Mettille said he doesn’t know whether it’s the worst thing in the world if it doesn’t pass, and he doesn’t believe it would pass based on the feedback he’s gotten.

Danek, who voted in favor of putting the bond on the ballot, said it’s up to the committee to sell it, and he thinks the board needs to have confidence in the committee.

“We can take one of two things: We can either be afraid of it and not put it on the ballot because we’re afraid it’s never gonna pass and we’re never gonna learn a thing from it, or we can try and if it passes, great,” Danek said. “Guess what – we did something. If it doesn’t pass, we can look and say, ‘Why didn’t it pass?’ and turn and look at our mistakes. Let’s not make them in the future and figure out how we can do this.”

Danek said other schools in Morris have passed on referendums and then turned around and passed them in subsequent years.

Eber said his personal experience has been that after a referendum fails, it’s difficult to get it to pass in subsequent elections.

“We have to do something about the building,” Eber said. “Do I think $126 million is gonna pass? I have a hard time believing it will, but I also think we had committee members here saying they’re willing to put the time and effort in going after it. I think we need to honor that.”

Vermillion voted for putting the question on the ballot but admitted that she struggles with the price tag. She said she also believes it’s a good idea to put the question to voters.

“We put this on the ballot, and if they want us to do it, we do it,” Vermillion said. “If they don’t, then we don’t.”

Superintendent Craig Ortiz said a new building would end up cheaper than a remodel in the long run, as a remodel would cost about $56 million plus additional costs to maintain the old building that would add up to $146 million.

“It sounds great to go less and fix a building that’s gonna cost us less, but it’s gonna cost us more to maintain our old building,” Eber said.

Hastings said he was going back and forth on whether to add the question to the ballot for the March election and ultimately against it.

“If we go out for $126 million and get told no, when do we go back and ask for less?” Hastings said. “We’d have to go back for another referendum.”

Tammie Beckwith Schallmo of PFA Financial Network said the school would have to go back for a referendum for any bond more than $44 million.

“It’s not a small problem to lose a referendum,” Wright said. “I don’t think you go back in November if you lose in March. If you lose in March, you’re going to really have to educate and do a better job of communicating with the public.”

Judy Miller, a board member who was not at the meeting, would have been the tie-breaking vote.