OLD Capital School District Referendum Information

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This page contains commonly asked questions and the ability to calculate your tax rate impact on the various proposals for the Capital School District Referendum. Please read the questions below and then you will find our online tax impact calculator and information on the State of Delaware School Property Tax Relief Program which provides a tax credit of up to 50% ($400 maximum) for homeowners age 65 and older.

What is an Operating Referendum?

Teacher working with Students in a classroomAn Operating Funding Referendum is designed to fund the day to day operations of the district and our schools. This includes items such as:

  • Continuing to support school safety and security initiatives.

  • Continuance of ongoing programs (textbooks, instructional supplies and materials, discipline support programs, and maintenance of facilities).

  • Upgrade and maintain Technology.

  • Upgrade and maintain Extra Curricular Activities, Science Programs and Equipment, and Performing Arts Programs.

  • Recruit and retain highly qualified staff.

  • Necessary operating expenses (energy costs, general inflation, contracted services).

  • Sustain operations that were affected by cuts in state funding.

  • Other items needed to continue to provide an excellent education to our growing student population. This does not include items such as school construction and remodels and other capital expenditures. 

What is a Capital Funding Referendum?

Dover High School during construction from the airA Capital Funding Referendum has a more restricted use case and is designed to use for expenses that do not fall under an Operating Referendum. This would include items such as safety and security upgrades, large technology initiatives, building remodels and construction, systems improvements (HVAC, etc.), and other major capital improvement projects. Since these funds cannot be used for operating expenses, it can be very important to ensure both aspects are strongly considered when a district goes to referendum. A Capital Referendum must be passed by voters in Capital to approve Bonds for the LOCAL SIDE of the project. 

What is the Delaware School Property Tax Relief Program?

State of Delaware SealIf you are a senior homeowner in Delaware, you may be eligible for a tax credit of up to $400 annually against your regular school property taxes. The Delaware School Property Tax Relief Program provides a tax credit up of 50% (up to $400) for homeowners age 65 and older.

A residency requirement of 10 consecutive years applies to homeowners who moved to Delaware starting January 1, 2018, and 3 consecutive years to homeowners who moved to Delaware starting January 1, 2013 in order to be eligible for the credit.

Applicants must pay their property tax in full in order to be eligible for the following tax year. A copy of a valid driver's license or state ID is necessary to apply.

For more information and to download the application, click this link..

How will a potential Operating and/or Capital Referendum affect my annual property tax bill?

As a property owner in Kent County, Delaware, property taxes are partly comprised of a rate set by Capital to support our ongoing Educational Efforts, Capital Expenditures, and other items required to provide the best instructional education for our 6,500 (and growing) student population. You can look up your current tax assessment, which is based on your assessed property value, by visiting the Kent County Property Information page and entering the street address (or Owner Name, Tax Account Number, etc.) on the page provided. This information is provided directly from Kent County and the State of Delaware as part of their Open Government initiatives. Your properties assessed value can be found in the "assesment" section, under "Total" (See image below).

Image to show demo of finding total under TOTAL column on assessment page
This is an approximate representation of the average home in Capital School District.

Once you retrieve this information from the Kent County Properly Information Page,
enter it in the box below.

Enter your Assessed Property Value:
*Enter value in NNNNNNN format. Omit any non-numeric characters.

Option 1 - Cost of Capital Referendum
(Total local bond issuance $35,803,000 to receive the matching state portion of $63,649,778)


The table below shows the cost to a homeowner of a property valued at $ over the course of 5 fiscal years. This option is designed to fund the first step of the Facilities Master Plan for Capital at a minimum level necessary for construction of 2 new Middle Schools and Safety and Security improvements.

Fiscal Year Proposed Tax Rate Change Increased Cost to Property Owner Each Year
2020
0.0462
$
2021

0.0293

$
2022
0.0722
$
2023
-0.0027
$
2024
-0.0444
$

* Tax rates are estimates based on several factors including interest rates, bonds with twenty year maturity, assessed value of district, assessment to sales ratio, Kent County Impact fees, and a funding stream of four years. Any or all of these estimates could change resulting in alterations to the tax rate. Cost figures are rounded to two decimal places during calculation.

- OR -

Option 2 - Cost of Capital Referendum with Enhancements
(Additional $11 million Enhancement plus $500k in minimal Central Renovation.
Total local bond issuance of $47,303,000 to receive the matching state portion of $63,649,778.)


The table below shows the cost to a homeowner of a property valued at $ over the course of 5 fiscal years. This option would be similar to the above proposal, but with enhancements to the middle school program for increased value in construction purchases, like a geothermal heating system, and other building improvements to provide an advanced set of middle schools for Capital students and staff.

Fiscal Year Proposed Tax Rate Change Increased Cost to Property Owner Each Year
2020
0.0462
$
2021

0.0865

$
2022
0.0861
$
2023
-0.0009
$
2024
-0.0465
$

* Tax rates are estimates based on several factors including interest rates, bonds with twenty year maturity, assessed value of district, assessment to sales ratio, Kent County Impact fees, and a funding stream of four years. Any or all of these estimates could change resulting in alterations to the tax rate. Cost figures are rounded to two decimal places during calculation.

- PLUS -

Cost of Total Tax Increase (Current Expense)

The table below shows the cost to a homeowner of a property valued at $ over the course of 5 fiscal years.

Fiscal Year Proposed Tax Rate Change Increased Cost to Property Owner Each Year
2020
0.1200
$
2021

0.1200

$
2022
0.0300
$
2023
0.0400
$
2024
0.0500
$

* Tax rates are estimates based on several factors including interest rates, bonds with twenty year maturity, assessed value of district, assessment to sales ratio, Kent County Impact fees, and a funding stream of four years. Any or all of these estimates could change resulting in alterations to the tax rate. Cost figures are rounded to two decimal places during calculation.

 

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