Just when you thought the campaign for new schools could not get any more divisive, out comes a flyer declaring the bond issue would bankrupt every Iola household. THE FLAVOR of the flyer is all doom and gloom.
The flyer is nothing short of fear-mongering, half-truths and outright lies.
Here are the truths:
1. The school bond issue will NOT cost each USD 257 taxpayer $11,467.89. That is absurd.
Opponents contrived the number by taking the $50 million bond issue and dividing it by the number of adults who live in Iola. They left out those who live in Gas, LaHarpe and rural areas, and, more importantly, area industries, which pay a higher property tax rate.
The figure also is based on what a taxpayer would pay over the life of the bond, 30 years, not a single year. Truly, disingenuous.
The figure also did not include the 51 percent portion the state of Kansas has agreed to pay.
Right now, $146 million is available in state aid to pay for the bond and interest for new schools or renovations. Every Kansas taxpayer pays into that pot which districts from across the state are taking advantage of. No, it’s not “free” money, but it is “our” money.
The amount a household pays depends on the value of the property. The owner of a $75,000 home can expect to pay an additional $6.65 a month.
An additional one-half cent sales tax also will alleviate the property tax burden. A $100 purchase will cost an additional 50 cents.
2. Our children’s safety is one of the biggest reasons to support new schools. A school campus will provide a much safer environment, including buildings that have monitored entrances.
3. Building new schools will create 196 new jobs and pump $59.6 million into the local economy. Iola native Steve Smith of Universal Construction is the construction manager and has every intention of hiring as many local workers as possible.
4. The vacated buildings will be put up for sale. If they do not sell, the antiquated structures will be demolished and their playgrounds kept, enhancing neighborhoods with attractive parks.
5. Our schools are NOT compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, despite what the flyer says. We are a complaint or a lawsuit away from being mandated to correct the situation in all of our public schools buildings.
Even if we renovate, every room will need to be made ADA-compliant, a very costly procedure.
6. Contrary to the flyer, significant savings will come from energy-efficient buildings and there’s been no talk of eliminating teachers if new schools are built.
“We’ll keep the same number of teachers,” Jack Koehn, superintendent of schools, said Wednesday afternoon. “Our goal is to keep the same student-teacher ratio.”
With a consolidated elementary school there will be a need for only one principal and one assistant principal as opposed to today’s scenario of three principals for each of the three elementary schools.
On its pretend check the address is “2014 VOTE NO Avenue.”
Iola, Kansas, the place where people vote no.
How uninspiring.
— Susan Lynn
‘Vote No Avenue,’ a road to nowhere
