Despite a plethora of statistics, nothing could keep down the emotion and energy Tuesday night in a wide-ranging discussion about the April 2 school bond issue.
About 125 local residents battled torrential rains to attend the forum, A Conversation on our Schools and Their Future, at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center and sponsored by The Iola Register.
Even more significant were the more than 1,500 views of the event that was live-streamed on Facebook.
But the forum was about even bigger numbers: a $25.5 million bond issue to build a new elementary school, with options of $7 million to build a new science and technology building at the high school and $2.8 million for heating, ventilation and cooling at the middle school.
Ten panelists answered questions posed via Facebook and by those in the audience. The panelists were from local and regional education systems, an architectural firm helping the district with the bond issue, a developer who specializes in renovating historic buildings for use as housing, and experts in soil remediation.
The questions generally fell into about six categories: Costs and taxes, soil remediation and site selection, what to do with existing buildings, timeline and future expectations, safety issues and how a new school will improve education.
Costs, savings and taxes
The owner of an average home in USD 257 can expect to see their property taxes increase by about $10.48 per month to pay for a new elementary school, steering committee member Ryan Sparks said in response to a question posed over Facebook by Rita Berntsen. That figure is calculated on a $70,000 home, which Sparks said is the value of an average home in the area.
The additional cost for a new science and technology building would be $2.91 per month; for the HVAC system, another $1.18.
Property owners can check the county appraiser?s website to find the value of their property, or go to the campaign?s site at www.257united.com for more information.
In response to a question posed by Wendy Froggatte over Facebook on the decision by the district to use property taxes to finance the bond issue instead of sales taxes, Sparks said steering committees struggled with the decision. Ultimately, they decided to ask for a property tax increase so as not to impose a burden on local business owners, especially retailers, who could lose business to other communities if the sales tax were raised, he said.
The state will pay 35 percent of the cost of the projects, USD 257 Superintendent of Schools Stacey Fager said, in response to a question posed by Jim Gilpin. That?s less than the 51 percent the state would have paid had the 2014 school bond issue passed but is still at the top of the list in what the state will contribute after reworking the formula in 2015.
Officials have estimated a new elementary school that combines those at McKinley, Jefferson and Lincoln would result in an annual savings of $300,000 to $500,000 because of increased efficiencies including lower utility costs, lower maintenance costs and less duplication of services. Several questions concerned how the district would spend that money.
Most likely, the savings would be reinvested into education and teacher salaries, Fager said.
It?s possible the district could use the savings to pay off the bond early, school board president Dan Willis said in response to a question by Greg Shields. However, it?s also possible the district could need to replace its high school or middle school in the future. It?s also difficult to predict what might happen, should the area gain or lose property value.
?We can?t obligate future boards, but I think it?s a goal we should have in mind,? Willis said.
Others wanted to know how much it will cost to purchase land, but Willis said those negotiations are ongoing and private. Four property owners have parcels within the allotted 15 acres.
