Cape Elizabeth School Board Unanimously Supports $94.7 Million School Improvement Referendum

The Cape Elizabeth School Board voted unanimously on Aug. 12 to support the $94.7 million referendum approved for the ballot earlier this month by the Town Council.

This includes the $89.9 million “Middle Ground School Project Design” developed after two years of deliberation by the School Building Advisory Committee (SBAC), as well as a $4.8 million addition proposed by Chairman Tim Reiniger that would preserve part of the existing middle school. The town has not yet decided, however, how this property would be used in the future.

The Middle Ground proposal includes plans to construct a new middle school, as well as to make a number of essential upgrades to the elementary and high schools.

The School Board held a special meeting on August 15 to discuss the Town Council’s vote earlier in the week to include the $94.7 million package on the November ballot.

The Town Council also agreed at that time, however, to include a note on the ballot clarifying that the Council — by a vote of 4-3 — does not recommend the passage of this proposition by voters.

An updated document from the Town’s Bond Counsel, Joe Cuetara, breaks down the long term tax impact that these projects would have on residents if the $94.7 million bond is approved at the ballot box in November.

Based on a rate of 3.5 percent over thirty years, Cape Elizabeth residents are expected to see their property taxes increase a total of 12.2 percent over the course of several years, beginning with a 2 percent hike in the 2026/2027 tax year.

This will be followed by a 6.1 percent increase the following year and a 4.1 percent raise in the third year.

The final payment on this bond, if approved, would be made by the Town on November 1, 2057.

Click Here to See the Full Tax Impact Report

Earlier this month, the Town Council rejected Chairman Reiniger’s $42 million alternative that represented a pared back version of this proposal that would only make “critically needed building repairs and renovations” to the school buildings instead of constructing an entirely new building.

The town held a public hearing at the end of July in order to solicit public feedback on the various proposals up for consideration at the time. This meeting ended up lasting about three hours and included primarily in-person testimony from fifty-five residents.

According to a press release from the town, just over eighty percent of the comments shared were in support of the $89.9 million Middle Ground proposal. One of these speakers offered remarks in favor of the Middle Ground proposal on behalf of 465 residents who signed a letter that had been delivered to the Council.

[RELATED: Cape Elizabeth Town Council Sends $94.7 Million School Improvement Plan to Voters, Rejects $42 Million Alternative]

Mid-July, the Cape Elizabeth School Board voted unanimously in opposition to supporting Reiniger’s $42 million alternative. School Board member Caitlin Sweet was absent from that meeting.

This vote was largely mirrored by the Town Council during their meeting on August 15 when they decided in a vote of four to three against advancing Reiniger’s alternative.

Although a number of residents strongly urged the Councilors during this same meeting to separate the Middle Ground proposal from the $4.8 million preservation plan so that they could be considered and voted on independently by residents, this motion also failed by a vote of four to three.

Click Here to Read the Town’s Full Press Release

Heather Altenburg was absent from the August 12 School Board meeting when the vote was taken to support the $94.7 million bond package sent to the ballot by the Town Council. School Board member Philip Saucier attended the meeting remotely.