The Madison, Wisconsin school district is planning to ask taxpayers for about $350 million in November, despite record unemployment brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.

Board members planned to vote to authorize two referendums for the November ballot this spring but put off the decision as schools grappled with closures and transitioned to online learning. Those referendums – $317 million for facilities and $33 million for the district’s operating budget – are now back on the agenda, the Wisconsin State Journal reports.

MORE NEWS: From Classroom to Consulate Chef: Culinary Student Lands Dream Job at U.S. Embassy in Paris

Chad Wiese, the district’s building services director, acknowledged the money was a “big ask of the community before COVID-19,” but argued it’s now the right time to get the request on the ballot.

The State Journal reports:

If approved by voters, Wiese said, the money could be borrowed with “near zero” interest rates; several Dane County school construction projects will be ending within the year, creating an “incredibly competitive bidding market”; and the building projects could create hundreds of jobs. …

Board members offered mixed opinions Monday on whether the district should pay for a new poll of voter attitudes toward the referendums in light of COVID-19.

Figures from Wisconsin’s Department of Workforce Development show 1.8 million residents have filed unemployment claims since March 15, WKOW reports.

The state’s unemployment rate skyrocketed to nearly 27% in April, the Journal reports.

Despite the dire financial situation facing many in the district, board members and district officials argued the district desperately needs the cash for renovations at four high schools, the consolidation of another building and a new elementary school, according to The Cap Times.

“We were only a couple weeks away from actually voting on the entire referendum package,” Wiese said. “In some ways it’s probably a blessing that we had a chance to pause and make sure we were making the right decision.”

MORE NEWS: Know These Before Moving From Cyprus To The UK

He’s convinced it is, and noted the school board has until August to approve the plan, which would phase in over four years.

“The situation around these projects hasn’t changed since March,” Wiese said. “Our schools are still in desperate need of improvements and maintenance and reimagining instructional settings.”

At least one board member questioned whether taxpayers could handle the added burden amid a nationwide depression.

“We definitely need it,” board president Gloria Reyes said. “It’s just, given the economic instability and what this does to our taxpayers … I think we have to be responsible and figuring out, is this the best route for our taxpayers right now given people losing jobs?”

Board member Savion Castro thinks “now is not the time to cut back our investment into public education for our students and our teachers.”

“Going into March there was a sense that this was really needed,” Castro said. “After COVID, it’s just underscored even more how badly our public schools need this investment from our community and I think we have a responsibility to be honest about that need.”

Board member Ali Muldrow described the massive tax plan as “smart.”

“Folks are able to see opportunity in this moment,” Muldrow said. “Madison is a community that embraces change and embraces smart solutions.”

No board members opposed the tax referendums, which they’re expected to revisit in the coming months.