Proposition Tigers would renovate the ag building, build a second gym, and expand the weight room with a price tag of $2.2 million. Passage requires a four sevenths majority. The election is on April 5th; people can vote absentee right now, and the Courthouse will be open on Saturday morning, April 2nd for people to vote absentee. People can vote in person on April 5th; polling locations are on Page 9 of the March 23rd and 30th issue. Polls are open from 6 am to 7 pm. People who live in the Independence Township section of the Worth County School District in Nodaway County can vote at the Parnell Firehouse.
If passed, the measure would increase the debt service levy from 25 cents per $100 assessed valuation to 50 cents. If there are still funds available after the ag center renovation and the community center/gym are built, the school will complete other repairs and improvements to the existing facilities of the district. The current debt service levy expires in the 2027-2028 school year. If the bond issue is passed, the new bonds would mature in 20 years, but if the board were to prepay bonds, they could reduce it to as little as 14 years.
Should the measure pass, Worth County would still have one of the lowest school district levies of the surrounding area. It would increase from $3.7700 per $100 assessed valuation to $4.0200. The median Worth County taxpayer would have an approximate $15 per year increase to their personal and property tax bill. No taxpayer in Worth County would pay more than $600 on their tax bill.
A house appraised at $100,000 would see a tax increase of $47.50 per year. A car appraised at $15,000 would see an increase of $12.50. Commercial property appraised at $100,000 would increase by $80.00. Livestock or machinery appraised at $100,000 would increase by $30. 160 acres of Grade 3 soil would increase by $30.96.
The ag building is in need of major repairs to the roofing, windows, garage doors, heating and cooling systems, and more. Currently, the district is paying to maintain portions that are not utilized due to the loss of an industrial arts teacher and the gain of Northwest Tech School. If the bond issue passes, the ag center would get new roofing, windows, garage doors, heating and cooling, allow the school to create a larger shop area and classroom, and improve workspace layouts and storage space. Currently, the ag room is the only part of the school that is being heated by the original boiler, which is on its last legs. The ag building has not been renovated since it was first built.
The project is being prioritized based on availability of funds. The first priority is the ag room; the second priority is the fitness center.
The weight room would be relocated to a larger, climate controlled space with access to an indoor walking area and restroom access. Having a bigger space would reduce safety hazards of having students crowded around while heavy equipment is in use. Currently, the weight room is open to the public with keycode access; that would continue to be the case. There are currently 70 people with keycode access, of whom 30 use.
A new practice gym and walking track would be built. The school has had difficulty with just one gym. For instance, in November, junior high boys and girls basketball teams, varsity basketball teams, cheerleaders, football, band, FFA, FBLA, and FCCLA are all competing with each other for students, time, and space. Students frequently either have to come to school at 6 am for practice and/or don’t get out of the school until 9:30 pm since non-sport organizations have to wait for athletes that are in their groups. That means that students have less time to spend with family.
The fact that the multipurpose room is being used for lunch for K-6 makes it difficult to schedule PE classes and recess, especially during inclement weather. For instance, Amanda Gilland said at last Tuesday’s town hall that one time, kids had to play cards for recess. There would be public access to the new fitness center like there is for the weight room. There would be less wear and tear on the current gym, since practices could be held in the 2nd gym. If the new fitness center is built, Healy said last Tuesday that 100% of the students would use it at some point.
Many of the other schools in the area have two gyms, including King City, Albany, Northeast Nodaway, North Nodaway, and South Harrison.
At one of the town hall meetings, one voter asked Superintendent Chris Healy why the need, when the school had the same facility in the 1970’s and twice the students. Healy said that expectations have changed since the school was originally built. For instance, when the school was originally built, there was no girls basketball. Healy said that even 20 years ago, the expectations were not the same as they are now; he says he gets requests all the time for youth sports teams and fitness groups wanting to use the gym.
If there are funds left over from the ag center renovation, weight room relocation, and community gym construction, the school would do the following projects:
–Parking lot repair;
–Two new buses;
–Refinish the performance stage;
–Do exterior metal repairs;
–Elementary lighting;
–Refinish the high school lockers;
–High school hallway heating;
–Elementary playground repairs.
Currently, the school has $606,351 in the capital projects fund to be used for facility expenses. These funds are being used for upkeep and improvements to the current facility. The district has a fund balance of 47.89% to assist with the operating expenses of the school; however, this reserve cannot be spent on building expenses.
In addition, the school has a unique situation, in which the school will receive an estimated $620,000 from the final round of COVID relief funds. The rules allow the school flexibility in deciding where these funds go. If the bond issue passes, the COVID relief funds will be used for the operations of the district, freeing up money to spend elsewhere. If the bond issue fails, the COVID relief funds will go towards care and upkeep of the facility, but few renovations will be possible. The money must be spent by September 2024.
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