The fact that a proposed construction-renovation project in the Freeport School District might eventually require a voter referendum dictates that district residents start paying close attention now to the various ideas being considered.

At a school board meeting Wednesday, it was disclosed that all proposals other than the cheapest would require voters’ concurrence.

Since the board indicated Wednesday that it was leaning toward an option that would not be the cheapest, it’s essential that district officials begin a dialogue with residents to make clear the positive and negative aspects of each of the four plans currently being weighed.

The cheapest plan would consist only of constructing a new junior high school for grades 7 and 8 and closing the existing building. An addition to and renovation of the senior high school for grades 9 through 12 would be pursued later.

However, the option that the board seems more inclined to pursue, based on Wednesday’s discussion, would involve construction of a new senior high school for grades 10 through 12 and converting the current senior high to a junior high school serving grades 7 through 9. Under that plan, as with the other options being considered, the 80-year-old current junior high building would be closed.

The total cost of the various options range between $22.6 million and $64.5 million.

Because the board might decide on a building plan next month, it is not too soon for public interest and involvement, especially since the construction-renovation initiative could increase real estate taxes by 12 percent, phased in over several years, and require a referendum.

William Reilly, district business manager, estimated that the construction debt would be paid over a 21-year period.

According to Reilly’s projections, property owners in the Butler County portion of the district would, in the end, have 14.8 mills tacked onto their current tax that amounts to 121.6 mills.

A mill amounts to $1 in tax for each $1,000 of a property’s assessed valuation.

In addition to Butler County, the district also covers a portion of Armstrong County.

“I really think the board has done its due diligence,” said Chris DeVivo, district superintendent, referring to the planning that has gone into the project to date and the fact that the planning, which began in September 2010, was halted in March as a result of the state’s education budget cuts.

DeVivo and the board realize that construction costs aren’t destined to decrease, so putting off the project could significantly increase its total cost a year or two from now.

But first the board must forge a districtwide consensus on how to proceed, if at all. District residents must familiarize themselves with the various proposed options, their costs and the impact on their tax bills — and, most importantly, voice their opinions to school officials.

That process must not be built upon a foundation of rumor and fear but what’s needed to maintain — and, indeed, improve — the district’s quality of education.

This is a crucial chapter in the district’s history that must be navigated correctly and, hopefully, harmoniously.