(FREMONT) – Voters in the Fremont Community School District will have the opportunity to vote on a renewal of an operating revenue referendum on May 2.

Residents of Fremont, Clear Lake and Jamestown Townships will be asked to vote on this referendum, which is asking for a continuation of the maximum referendum property tax rate of $0.1963. That’s they same rate that was approved seven years,

Fremont Superintendent Bill Stitt says in a letter to the public that with this renewal, it would provide Fremont Schools with the level of funding necessary to be able to adequately staff and maintain the schools.

The school corporation says if approved, the referendum will raise approximately $2.54 million annually. Over the life of the referendum, that comes to $20.32 million. Out of the annual $2.54 million, $1.5 million is for attracting and retaining teachers and staff. Another $500,000 goes to academics, $320,000 for support of the operation fund and $225,000 for managing class sizes.

As of last year, with the referendum in place, Fremont had the fourth lowest school tax rate in the state. It currently is fifth in the state. In the first collection year of the first referendum, in 2016, Fremont’s tax rate was 22nd lowest in the state.

Fremont Schools was not able to place this renewal request before the voters in 2022. Since that time, they have been taking money from their savings to help make up for the lack of additional revenue.

Polls will be open on May 2 for voters to cast their ballot. If the renewal referendum should be voted down at that time, Stitt says that he will keep putting it on the ballot during future elections.