The 27J Schools board of education threw its support behind two ballot questions for the November election.

The district put a mill-levy override question (question 5A) on the ballot. If approved, it would provide funds to add teachers for the district’s STEM/career and technical education programs. It would also provide a pay raise for teachers “in order to attract and retain quality staff,” according to a district press release. 

The request is an increase of eight mills ($16 million), which would cost $4.63 per month per $100,000 of assessed home value. 

The other question is proposal 5B, a bond issue to build new schools, build a STEM/career and technical education center at each district high school, update technology and equipment and update safety and security systems. This question, if approved, would not come with a tax increase. 

“Simply put, the growth of our communities means the costs are shared by more households and businesses, since their numbers have grown over time,” said 27J spokeswoman Janelle Asmus. “Our community growth is actually helping to pay for itself. The district has also paid down pre-existing bond debt, so this proposal can invest back to the previous bond level without costing taxpayers any additional money.” 

In a statement, the district said a bit more than one in five of its 20,000 students attend charter schools, which will benefit from the proposals.

The election is Tuesday, Nov. 2.