By Brian Gilliland

LEWES — While admitting the new proposal is different, but maybe not exactly what the schools are looking for, Bob Fulton, superintendent of Cape Henlopen School District, launched the effort to promote the district’s second referendum this year, set for May 21, with a press conference on Tuesday.

“Most of the conversation was about the pool, which was maybe 10 percent of the proposal and decreases the rate by a small amount,” Mr. Fulton said. “But it was the biggest talking point.”

So it’s gone from this proposal, but it hasn’t been forgotten, Mr. Fulton said, and explained he still recognizes the need for a pool in the district.

The schools will now seek $.391 per $100 of assessed value, down from $.549 per $100 in the previous request.

Previously, the district sought $.214 per $100 for capital projects, which has shrunk to $.086 to fund the purchase of property, relocating the district administrative office and a vehicle maintenance facility. What had been identified as operational expenses at $.335 per $100 assessed has shrunk to $.305 per $100.

Mr. Fulton explained the reduction in the operational expenses was also part of the pool financing project, as the district had assumed it would need to fund some portion of the startup expenses, and had expressed that amount in the operational budget.

Under the new proposal, the schools would still be able to fund expanding operations due to population growth as well as purchase a 102-acre parcel on which a new district office and bus depot would be installed. Mr. Fulton said the parcel could eventually be developed into another school when one becomes necessary.

Which won’t be too long, according to numbers provided by the district. Around the time the pandemic lockdown began, the number of students migrating into the district began to outpace the study the district had been using to project growth.

This year, for example, the district hit the projected total for 2028, which makes it concerning for Mr. Fulton that the previous referendum failed, forcing another.

“We’ve been holding off, holding off holding off, but now we need it,” Mr. Fulton said, referring to March’s referendum being the first in the district in six years. “We are about six months behind” where he would like the district to be, he said.

The district had been relying on Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds, also a relic of the pandemic, to make ends meet. Only about $1.4 million is left, and is very likely to be gone by September, Mr. Fulton confirmed.

The population growth is eating the funds faster than district revenues can replace.

“We’re adding 200-300 students per year, and there are an amazing number of people moving here with children,” he said. “We have a deep need for space.”

But the schools can’t go out to a commercial real estate agent or look up properties on the internet, as one might do for a house. The schools, roughly a year and a half ago, instigated the process to purchase the lot now on the ballot, and needed to meet both state and county requirements — like being in a designated growth zone — before it could be considered.

“There’s never a good time to go to referendum, and if we had to wait for a good time our students would have to start dealing with less,” Mr. Fulton said.

Voters will have more to deal with this time around too, as the district has added two polling places and hopes to have more voting machines this time around, Mr. Fulton confirmed. Voters can choose the most convenient polling place for themselves on May 21: Cape Henlopen High School, Rehoboth Elementary School, Mariner Middle School, Beacon Middle School and the Lewes Library.

During the March referendum, more than half the 7,900 votes were cast at Cape Henlopen High School, leading to long lines.