Local school board members announced last week their willingness to test the waters on whether the public would support a new schools project. “I HATE having a gun held to my head telling me what to do,” said Tony Leavitt, president of the local school board, in regards to Sen. King’s proposal.
Six long years ago, the community was on the verge of a such a vote. Then the recession came and proponents didn’t have the stomach to launch such an ambitious project.
In recent months school officials have been willing — some say forced — to dust off the plans because in the interim they have found, no surprise, that Iola schools have continued to deteriorate.
What has brought the issue to the forefront is proposed action in the Kansas Legislature to eliminate state aid for school bond issues in regards to capital improvement projects, such as building a new school. The measure, Senate Bill 305, has been proposed by Sen. Jeff King, R-Independence.
Such funding is the only way poor school districts such as ours can afford any kind of new building projects. The percentage of aid is figured on a district’s assessed property valuation per pupil compared to other districts. The state match for USD 257 is 49 percent, one of the highest in the state.
Without the aid, there’s no chance the area would vote to build a new school.
Sen. King proposes the law go into effect July 1.
And because the prevailing winds in the Legislature go against funding pretty much anything, it has a good chance of passing.
There’s no time to waste.
We must get under that July 1 deadline to qualify for one-time funds.
But that’s where we are.
The school board’s goal is to quickly canvass area residents as to their support of new schools. It’s not yet clear whether they will propose either a new elementary school campus or shoot for new schools system-wide. The survey will help define such goals.
Hopefully, the feedback will be positive and a vote can be scheduled for April.
Yes, April.
Of course, the bigger hope is that Sen. King’s measure will meet with defeat. It’s particularly damaging to poorer school districts and works to make Kansas’ educational landscape even more uneven.
Our best course, however, is to act as if such funding will be withdrawn — if not now, then someday — and proceed to plan for new schools.
Time is not on our side.
— Susan Lynn
Time’s a wastin’! Patrons, BOE need to move on schools
