Voters in USD 257 will decide on Nov. 4 a bond issue to build new elementary and high schools just north of town. THIS IS the second time in the past several years new schools have been proposed.
To help define the issue, the Register will develop a number of stories on all aspects of the project, from why school officials think new schools are necessary to funding of the project to how students will be transported.
Already much has surfaced on social media sites. Many questions are thoughtful and need to be answered. Some comments are contentious; some are couched in untruths.
If the issue is to fly, transparency is an absolute necessity. Patrons must be diligent in having their questions answered by those who know. Face-to-face with school officials is the best way, not a second-hand view posted anonymously on the Internet.
An ambitious project came up about six years ago that would have created a campus of elementary, middle and high schools served by a comprehensive community center. Board members were on the cusp of putting it up for a vote when the recession hit. Those plans were scuttled in the face of certain defeat.
In this second go-round, funding would have three components.
Iola has agreed to ask approval of a half-cent sales tax, half of which would go to school construction and the other for city infrastructure. The school portion of the sales tax would supplement general obligation bond funding.
The overall issue will be about $50 million. Of that state funding would pick up 51 percent of the tab, leaving taxpayers with a bond issue requiring a net levy increase of 9 mills over the next 30 years.
The funding arrangement would create a tax burden that is manageable. The sales tax would be discretionary and vary according to household needs and wants, while the property tax levy would cost a person owning a $100,000 home a touch over $100 a year, or a little less than $9 a month.
— Bob Johnson
Answers critical to success of new schools
