Dan Willis stumbled upon an old election flyer the other day. It was an advertisement for his April 2015 run for a seat on the USD 257 school board.
A checklist of his campaign promises — the reasons he ran for election — still hold up, four years later as he now serves as school board president overseeing an April 2 vote on whether to build new facilities.
“Concerned with the culture of the district and the perception of citizens.”
Check.
Willis hopes voters will support the plan to build a new elementary school, new science and technology building at the high school and replace aging heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems at the middle school. It’s important to give children the best possible opportunities, he said, and for the community to take pride in its facilities.
And in the past two years, he’s seen leaders of the next generation step up to develop the current school bond plan. He’s excited for the future of the community.
“Believe there is a link between higher ranking schools and up-to-date facilities. This doesn’t mean they have to be new.”
Partial check.
Willis initially believed renovation was a better option for local schools. Now, he believes the three existing elementary schools should be combined into one new facility.
“Seek to find efficiencies within USD 257 and its financial planning process.”
Check.
By combining three aging facilities into one new elementary school, experts have estimated the district could save between $300,000 to $500,000 annually in increased efficiencies through lower utility costs, reduced maintenance and fewer duplicated services. Others, including the superintendent of the Chanute district that saw significant savings when it built new schools, predict the savings will be even more substantial.
“Desired results of the education process need long-term planning and community input.” Check. A big, bold check.
The current bond issue developed after about two years of study and was led by a committee of local residents. Many of them, like Willis, had rejected a 2014 bond that would have built new elementary and high schools in the north part of the city for $50 million. This time, a group of local residents who, at first, didn’t agree on any detail eventually learned to compromise and came to a unanimous decision in the end.
THAT 2014 school bond issue divided the community, Willis said. It failed 62 percent to 38 percent (1,812 to 1,128).
Willis agreed something needed to be done with aging school facilities. No bond issue has been approved in USD 257 for 27 years, not since a middle school renovation project in 1992, with a high school renovation in 1988. The last bonds had been paid off in 2006. Iola’s youngest school is McKinley, built in 1949.
Enrollment in local schools and throughout the area continues to decline. Other communities across the state and region have taken advantage of the state’s financial aid programs to build new schools, and their enrollments either increased or stabilized.
USD 257 leaders at one point considered a massive plan for an entirely new school complex, but abandoned the project as estimated costs spiraled and a recession struck.
The 2014 plan was driven by the school board and superintendent, who emphasized 51 percent of the costs would be paid by the state. A few months after voters rejected the bond issue, the state made changes to the program. Now, USD 257 qualifies for 35 percent state aid — still one of the highest percentages in the state.
