Cape Henlopen schools to discuss referendum proposal

LEWES — The Cape Henlopen School District board of education will address an update to a certificate of necessity regarding Cape Henlopen High School on Thursday.

The district’s most recent certificate of necessity submitted to the state would have funded an expansion to the facility. Such a document, if approved, allows a school district to go to referendum on a major capital project.

Prior to two failed referenda for other projects earlier this year, superintendent Bob Fulton explained that the state “didn’t say no but said not yet” to the request to expand Cape High.

He added that the decision came in part because the district had already been approved for several initiatives in the preceding years and because some prerequisite projects needed completion before the high school’s expansion could occur.

These proposals — removing and replacing the current administrative office — were included in the capital portion of the 2024 referendum requests. A maintenance facility, land purchase and indoor swimming pool were then added to the first referendum.

That vote, in March, sought a tax increase of $0.549 per $100 of assessed value to fund these and other plans, as well as operational expenses, and failed by about 490 votes.

The district was able to lower the proposed tax rate for the second referendum, in May, largely by removing the swimming pool, a frequent target of criticism. The lower proposal was $0.391 per $100 of assessed value, and voters rejected it once again, this time by about 600 votes.

Before one of the votes earlier this year, Mr. Fulton was asked what would happen should the referendum fail. He replied that costs were likely to increase in general, from land acquisition to construction.

Thursday’s discussion will be the first about the next proposal to the state since the referenda failed.

Also on the agenda are a “history wall” at the new Frederick Thomas Middle School and a major capital projects update.

The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. at Lewes Elementary School, 820 Savannah Road. It will also be available virtually via capehenlopenschools.com .