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City hears facts on bond issue
Published 9/26/2008 in News : Education
By STEPHANIE FARLEY
sfarley@gctelegram.com
USD 457 Superintendent Rick Atha has been making his way to the various groups, sectors and governing bodies in the community, providing facts on the upcoming school bond issue with a price tag of $97.5 million.
Before Atha presented Thursday to the Garden City Commission, Commissioner Nancy Harness had her mind made up on the bond issue: "I wasn't going to support it," she said, explaining she doesn't feel one big high school is the way to go.
Atha explained Thursday to the commission that the USD 457 Board of Education, before picking a plan, was split down the middle, with three wanting to pursue two smaller high schools and three wanting to see one, larger high school constructed.
The board, he said, ultimately chose the proposed plan of a new, larger high school to help deal with overcrowding issues because of the results of a community survey that showed about 46 percent of respondents would support one, larger high school over two -- and about 18 percent of people were undecided.
But Harness said she left Thursday's meeting thinking, "That makes sense to me" about the plan.
"I changed my mind today," Harness said Thursday night. "And it's something I can support."
Under the bond issue, the $97.5 million would fund building a new, larger high school at the proposed location north of Mary Street and east of Campus Drive; remodeling Garfield Elementary School into a centralized early childhood center; remodeling the current high school into a middle school; and remodeling Abe Hubert Middle School to be used as an elementary school.
While the city and county commissions haven't and aren't taking an official stance on the bond issue, Harness expressed individually that the overall design of the proposed new high school is what changed her mind.
The high school will be split up into four smaller learning communities, which is designed to, among other things, break the state's fourth largest high school down into smaller "schools" based on student interest and also make the school more personable, allowing teachers to build relationships with students.
Harness, who works as principal and athletic director at Deerfield High School, said she believes a smaller learning environment is crucial for students, adding it's critical for students and teachers to be able to form those relationships. She said she feels the bond issue is a good solution -- maybe not the best one or the only one -- but it's one she now supports and hopes the community will move forward with to address educational facilities.
"We're a progressive community, and we need to be progressive with our high school," she said.
Harness also said she feels the state funding 37 percent of the bond cost -- covering more than $36 million of the principal -- and then 37 percent of the interest is a plus.
As it stands, USD 457 has stated the bond issue would increase the mill rate by 8.42 mills -- added to the existing bond rate of 1.14 mills. The total would be 9.56 mills and take the district's levy from 36.14 to 45.7 mills on a 25-year bond. The increase would put USD 457 between Hutchinson and Great Bend as far as school district mill levies in the state; below Dodge City, Salina and Hays and above Holcomb and Liberal.
"That's a lot of money," Commissioner John Doll said of the bond issue, but he also believes there's nothing more important than a child's education.
Doll said that if he had to decide Thursday, he'd vote for the bond issue. Voters, though, have until Nov. 4 before needing to make a decision at the polls.
While he believes he supports the issue, he'd also like to hear from both sides: those supporting and opposing the issue.
Anytime taxes are raised, he said, it affects the "middleman," parents who are working. Doll taught for 20 years and said he's for education, but would like to hear from the senior citizen and middle-class population.
If the bond referendum passes, the owner of a $100,000 home would pay $9.16 more a month, $109.94 more to the school district annually.
"We need to do something," Commissioner Reynaldo Mesa said of the overcrowding and space issue. "We're way overdue in addressing this problem."
Mesa has a daughter who just graduated from the high school and said the overcrowding made it difficult moving around in the building and getting to and from class. He has a son who's in his freshman year at the school and wouldn't see the completed new high school if it's approved -- but Mesa has a daughter who will.
Among other reasons, Mesa said he supports the issue because he feels "it's a no-brainer" with the state funding a portion of the project in the current financial environment and it's a well thought-out idea. The idea of smaller learning communities seems "right on" he said.
He said the community's educational facilities "sends a message to people out there" who might be considering moving to Garden City and the surrounding area.
Mesa said there are going to be those who don't agree with the district's plan. He admits he doesn't necessarily want to pay additional taxes, but adds that "we've got to think about the future."
Atha said the district is simply providing factual information to help voters make an informed decision.
As a voter, Garden City Mayor David Crase still is uncertain on the issue.
"I can't say yes, and I can't say no," he said, adding that he's leaning toward voting for it.
Crase is like Mesa in that, "something has to be done." Crase would like to see the freshmen separated out more, actually removed from the high school. He feels the district should return to the grade division of kindergarten through sixth grade, then seventh, eighth and ninth grades together -- leaving 10th, 11th and 12th in the high school.
He feels separating ninth-graders could help reduce the pregnancy rate, as well as ease the transition for freshmen.
Ninth-graders still would be in the high school under the district's proposed plan, but they'd be housed in one of the separate wings of the smaller learning communities. Crase said he'd still like to see the ninth-graders removed completely, "but it's a start."
In discussion with people throughout the community, Crase said, he has yet to find anyone outside of employees of the district who really supports the bond issue.
"It's kind of a tough sell," he said.
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