MADISON, Wis. -- On Tuesday, Madison school district voters will decide your child's education, and the third referendum question focuses on buildings in disrepair. News 3's Colin Benedict continues this Reality Check series by examining the yes and no positions.

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Reality Check: Question 1 Reality Check: Question 2 Reality Check: Question 3

The third question is unlike the other two. It cannot raise your property taxes, but that doesn't mean it won't cost you money.

The Madison Metropolitan School District is asking for $26.2 million for building repairs and technology upgrades over five years. For example, the district shows East High School -- repair concerns there alone would cost $3.4 million.
SPECIAL SECTION: Channel3000.com/referenda

Plus, the question allows for up to a $500,000 a year to be spent on technology upgrades. Here's where this question is different: for the average $205,000 homeowner, a "yes" vote would not change your tax bill at all.

A "no" vote would cut your taxes $57 next year, $90 in 2007 and $87 in 2008.

The yes groups say that first off, this won't cost you any more money than you're paying now, which is true, News 3 reported.

Beyond the cost, school officials say the repairs are needed.

"Just like when you own a home, you have costs and you have expenditures because of the upkeep of the building," said Joan Eggert of Madison cares. "I would also argue the schools, and the way that they look actually contribute to the community and the cost of our homes."

Every single repair is laid out on the school district's Web site. In many cases, you can click and see what is to be fixed and how much it would cost.

News 3 reviewed the district's repair history for the last five years. Out of 160 repairs, 146 have been completed or are being completed, and 14 have been postponed.

But even with the postponed repairs, the cost has been $828,000 more than projected.

For the organizers of a no vote, there's no argument -- maintenance is needed. The problem for the no side is how this is being paid for.

"We're not arguing that maintenance isn't necessary -- it is," said Rick Berg, co-chair of Vote No for Change. "But it belongs in the operating budget. It doesn't belong in borrowing."

News 3 checked the school district budget, and it puts aside $3.1 million every year for repair and maintenance -- in the operating budget. But it's not enough to cover maintenance.

If it was in the budget, it would cost less in two ways: One, the district wouldn't be borrowing money and paying interest. And two, as we showed in Part 1 of this Reality Check series, approving the referendum will mean a decrease in state aid. For this question, it will cost roughly $14.5 million more.

But putting it in the operating budget would likely mean cutting popular programs, such as the popular strings program.

The no side also says while this is only for five years, the district will ask again when it expires unless voters send a message on Election Day -- Tuesday.

Referenda Questions:

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Reality Check Series:
News 3 Report: Question 1
News 3 Report: Question 2