Web posted
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Mail-in vote set on bond
Schools will ask voters to OK $36 million plan
By FOSS FARRAR
Traveler Staff Writer
Ark City schools will hold a mail-in vote to let voters decide whether to approve a $36 million bond issue to finance major renovations to the schools. The deadline for the mail-in vote will be March 4, board members decided Monday.
The question before voters will be whether or not to approve the issuing of $36 million in bonds to pay for a district-wide school facilities improvement project. The project includes the construction of a new football stadium west of Arkansas City High School and additions and renovations to that school as well as all other schools in the Ark City school district.
"We are targeting March 4, 2008, contrasted with Nov. 6 (the originally planned date of the bond election) after discussing the issue with citizens led by John Sturd," Ballard said.
He referred to a citizens group that is spearheading a campaign to get the bond issued approved. That group had asked for more time to provide full information on the proposed project to voters.
The school district itself cannot legally lead a campaign but only provide information, Ballard has said.
"After the holidays and before tax time seems a good point for the election," Ballard said at Monday's meeting. "Schools of our size (have high voter participation) with mail ballot elections ... For example, Newton had well over a 50 percent turnout."
By contrast a traditional walk-in election would bring about 25 to 30 percent of voters, he said.
The cost for a mail ballot election here would be $10,000, Ballard said.
March 4 would be the deadline for receiving ballots, he said.
The board approved the resolution 5-0 without discussion last night. Present at the meeting was Greg Vahrenberg, managing director for the public finance group of Piper Jaffray, the school district's bond counsel for the project.
The school board and a citizens committee have worked on the facilities improvement project for more than a year.
In other action, the board:
* Accepted a Fiscal Year 2007 audit letter and report on all school district funds. It was presented by Jake Taylor and Elliott Jackson, of the accounting firm of Parman, Tanner, Soule and Jackson. The schools got a good report with the auditing company finding just one minor infraction involving a small amount of money in the state retirement fund.
* Approved copier specifications for the purchase of two multi-purpose copiers -- one to be located in the Arkansas City Middle School office and the other in the Ark City High School office. The board gave the business office permission to solicit bids.
* Directed board member Daren Reese to be the school district's delegate in the Kansas Association of School Boards assembly, and reviewed some proposed KASB resolutions and policy amendments.
* Heard an annual review of energy savings to the district by Paula Nelson, the school district's energy manager, since the district contracted with Energy Education, Inc. The district has saved $249,798 -- or 22 percent of energy costs -- in the first two years it has had the program, Nelson said.
* Heard a report on student assessment results by Associate Superintendent Jan Voss.
Student scores on math and reading have risen in all district schools in recent years, Voss said. In some cases, Ark City district students are performing above the state average.
Ark City High School students' ACT scores are above state and national levels, she said. And the local high school's graduation rate has risen to 86.2 percent, in 2006, compared to 75.4 percent in 2002. The state average graduation rate for 2006 was 89.7 percent.
* Discussed teacher retention and recruitment. Recruiting student-teachers from state colleges has become a bigger priority for the district than in the past, Ballard said.
The district hires 25 to 30 new teachers each year, Voss said.
* Heard a presentation on the Head Start program by Caroline Bruce, program director. USD 470 is the governing body for Cowley County's Head Start programs including student participants from Winfield, Udall and Burden. There are a total of 115 students countywide this year.
It is a federal program that has a budget of about $1 million a year, including $746,000 in federal funds and $216,00 in local district funds.
|
