North Nodaway Superintendent Chris Turpin gave out more information to voters at a town hall Wednesday, encouraging people to get out and vote April 5th on the $2.65 million bond issue. In Nodaway County, absentee voting is open right now with a valid photo ID. On April 2nd, the Nodaway County Courthouse will be open from 8 am to noon for those wishing to vote absentee. Polls are open from 6 am to 7 pm on April 5th. People in Hopkins Township will vote in the Community Hall. People in Independence Township (Gaynor) will vote in the Parnell Fire Station. People in Union Township (Pickering) will vote in the Community Building. People in Atchison Township, near Clearmont, will vote in the Little Red Schoolhouse in Clearmont. People in Polk Township will vote at the Laura Street Baptist Church in Maryville. Passage requires a four sevenths majority.
If Proposition PFK passes, the existing 59 cent debt service levy will be continued; taxes will not increase. Three projects will be built in order of priorities. The top priority is an elementary addition with a preschool. The second priority is a new bus barn. The third priority is a secure safety entrance at the high school with an elevator. The school would have three years to spend the $2.65 million. The school would finalize plans and put the projects out for bid. There is a $300,000 contingency fund in case some of the bids are over the estimates. The process would start right away. During the construction of the preschool, the preschool students would temporarily be moved to where the teacher workroom is now.
If Proposition PFK fails, the 59 cent levy will be phased out for the next school year and completely go away for the 2023-2024 school year. The money cannot be spent on anything but paying back bonds. Turpin said the priorities were based on input from the community. "I hope to never have to come to you and ask for money for the operating levy," he said Wednesday.
The school received its first wind farm money in January 2021. While the wind turbine money has helped North Nodaway increase its reserves from $1.2 million to $1.7 million, the school has not let the estimated $665,000 annual revenue sit around, but it is already being spent. Among some of the projects it is being spent on include:
--Deferred maintenance. Funds have been used to address facility repairs and items that have been put off due to a lack of extra funding. This includes air conditioning in the gym, carpeting and flooring in the elementary, water drainage issues at the high school, and ceiling repairs at the old gym at the high school. The Pickering gym got a new floor that replaced the original floor.
--Increased salaries for non-certified staff. Salaries were increased to bring many non-teaching positions to at least minimum wage. This year, the school will address teacher salaries, which are 12th out of 18 area schools. These cost increases will be permanent. Currently, the school has a $3.5 million annual budget as of the current school year. Out of that, almost $2.2 million is spent on teacher salaries, non-certified staff, and administration. Teacher salaries alone cost the school $1.5 million a year. At the PTO meeting, Turpin said that the $665,000 annual wind farm money is not guaranteed, meaning that if it goes away, the school would have much less to work with. Also, Fund 1, which covers operating expenses, collects $2,579,500, of which almost $2.2 million goes towards salaries. Around $420,000 goes towards the debt service levy, while $472,000 goes towards capital improvements. Currently, the school's levy, including the debt service levy, stands at $4.6505 per $100 assessed valuation.
--Academic program costs. The school is the first in the state to offer classes in robotics and drones, which will put the school at a competitive advantage if open enrollment passes the Missouri Legislature. The drone program has an end of course test that certifies one with an FAA drone permit. Previously, the school limited student participation in vo-tech; however, with wind turbine money, they were able to allow anyone to enroll. There are 22 kids this year going to vo-tech after the school had limited enrollment to 10-12 in the past. The school plans to purchase new textbooks this year with wind farm money; many are 12-14 years old, and a history textbook the school uses is at least 30 years old, when George Bush I was President. The school now pays for one ACT test or Accuplacer test for students.
--Updated technology needs. The school has upgraded its computer hardware and software, which includes computer ports, switchers, chrome books, and laptops. The district is now one to one for students and teachers having access to these devices.
--Reserves. The school has saved a portion of the wind turbine funds for reserves to help with unforeseen expenditures or shortfalls in federal or state funding. Health insurance for school employees is going up, with rates at the group provider the school uses going up 12% for the upcoming school year, which would cost the school $28,000 a year. Legislators are looking at open enrollment, more money for charter schools, and changing the funding formula, all of which could reduce state funding for schools. The governor can withhold funding if state revenues don't meet projections, meaning there is always potential for unexpected shortfalls.
--Other priorities. Other priorities that are needed with current funding, including wind farm money, include smart boards, an exterior corridor to the Ag room, new doors with locks, sealing the parking lots, work on lockers, upgrading playground equipment, replacing inefficient windows, more work on heating and cooling, and elementary roofs.
The school's goal for the wind farm money is to pay for small or medium sized projects which can be paid in a year. However, assuming the school saves 50% of the wind turbine money revenue annually, it will take almost 8 years to save the $2,650,000 in cash. At that point, the cost might be much higher; inflation this year is at its highest rate in 40 years and has hit construction especially hard. Passage of the bond issue would free up money for other projects.
Passage of Proposition PFK would allow the school to construct a new addition to the elementary school, which would allow the school to have a new preschool classroom, a new safety entrance with office spaces, and a new library. The current library would be converted to a lunch room, freeing up the gym for more recess or PE time. Kitchen space would be freed up, meaning the school would not have to transport so much food from Hopkins to Pickering. All of the louder learning activities would be at one end of the building, allowing more learning in classrooms.
If money is still available, the second priority would be to build a bus barn on the lot north of the high school. It would allow the school to protect its bus fleet from extreme weather and allow the maintenance worker to perform basic maintenance such as oil changes and putting in new tires as well as cleaning. If money is available after the elementary addition and the bus barn are bid out, the third priority would be to build a new security entrance at the high school. It would provide a new safety entrance for visitors, provide a clear identification at the main entrance, free up office, storage, or classroom space, allow the school to build an ADA compliant elevator, and allow for more confidentiality for students.
The current debt service levy means that a home with an appraised value of $80,000 would cost an estimated $89.68. An auto appraised at $10,000 costs $19.66, while an auto appraised at $15,000 costs $29.50. Around 87% of taxpayers pay $372.17 or less under the current 59 cent debt service levy. Only 13% pay more.
Out of school revenues, 47% comes out of local taxes, which is common. 4% comes from the county, 37% comes from the state, and 12% comes from federal funds. However, the federal share could drop to 5% to 6% as COVID relief money dries up.
Turpin said at the Town Hall that the door is always open for voters to ask questions about the bond issue. His cell phone is (660) 254-6105 or people can call the school office while school is in session. He said he was impressed with the revitalization of the community, with both the CBC and the PTO, among other organizations, stepping up and taking active roles in the community. "Things like this motivate the kids," he said. Surveys done by the school showed a high level of interest among incoming 6th through 8th graders in participating in sports across the board. And 220 people attended the recent Academic Night, which is more than attendance at some ballgames.
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