Convince Me

[Tobina+1]

It sounded like to me, that the bottom line message was... "we must spend money to save money in the long run".  Or even to save our District in the long run.  Mr. Reese had some good financial stats.  I encourage people to try and attend a meeting, or to ask Mr. Reese and/or the "Vote Yes" group to hold a discussion at any of your local meetings.  Really, they are not there to tell you how to vote... they are there to give the facts and answer questions.

Yes, I agree that a top priority should be given to what will happen to the old school buildings.  I think we've got a GREAT community/county group that would be willing to step in and get creative.  This group was designed to help the COUNTY, not just communities, and I think you'll see a lot of people willing to make sure all communities in the county can survive something like this.  Someone mentioned something about giving the school to a 501(c)(3) company, and again, we have a very active one of those in our county (Elk County Community Education Foundation)... who also is aligned with the county development group, Elk Konnected.
I don't want to get this thread off-topic, but I think some interesting ideas have been mentioned here on what to do with these buildings.  All we need is some forward-thinkers who are positive and willing to make something happen.  Yes, ideally, we try and draw in some new business that will also help the economy of the town, but at the very least, we can make these buildings house something that is an asset to the community people who have supported them all these years.
Sorry, I didn't want to do this (to get us too far off track), but it is burning a hole in my mind... how many young kids get married in other towns because their own hometown doesn't have a location to host the reception?  How much money is the community/county losing because of situations like this?  How about an antique mall; people travel MILES to go to antique malls (not to mention that they buy gas and eat in those towns, too)?  The potential of re-purposing these schools actually excites me more than getting a new school!  

[jprxmkt]

A 'no' vote will not save Moline and Severy from drying up.  That has to come from the business sector of town.  If you have businesses and people working together to keep those businesses thriving,(i.e. people shopping in them) that is what keeps a town from drying up. Everyone must support the local commerce in these small towns, so you can have families who can live and work in these communities. Examples have been given about when the school closed the town quickly followed suit.  The school closing was not the CAUSE of the dry up, it was a consequence of it. Because we no longer have the population in Elk and southern Greenwood counties, we are now forced to make this really tough decision.  The financial resources are no longer there to support 3 campuses.  I have a soft place in my heart for Moline as I lived there when I was younger so I too want to see it prosper, but I truly do not believe that the grade school is the only thing holding that town together. The closing of these schools would not have to be the end of these towns!    

[sixdogsmom]

Tobina, you did not mention in your 'report' that enrollment in the entire district this year is 345 students, that includes gradeschool, jr.highschool, and highschool. This number is down from 450 students year before last. This does not look like an upward trend to me. You also mentioned that landholders were the majority of the board members. Did it ever occcur to you that landholders nowdays make a huge living, some in the hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. There are people here in this town who barely are existing now; disabled or elderly living on a small fixed income. They manage to pay taxes just barely; if this tax situation gets to be much more of a burden, they will just stop paying. Eventually they will lose their homes, some of which are the minimum of living conditions. Some of these people already are stretched to the breaking point, fear and panic at the sight of an electric or gas bill, wondering if they will be able to pay it. Yes, there is homestead assistance for people who qualify. As an example, in my case it does not even cover the rise in taxes already. So that means the quality of my life is decreasing as well as many here in this town and across the county I suspect. Could you live on $700.00 per month? I know one couple who barely manage, and he is forced to work with a heart condition and diabetes, even though he is well past retirement age.

Pep, I watched the video you had posted, and I do have a question; why is the schoolboard building a tornado shelter for Howard community? Or is it the safe room the woman was speaking of?

[Diane Amberg]

I believe the elementary school gym is being built to tornado standards to act also as a safe room, tornado shelter for the kids and the community. If I'm wrong, I'm sure Pep will correct me.

[jprxmkt]

You are correct Diane.

[wasadeay]

Will a decision be made and the public informed of "plan b" before or after the vote?

Also wondering how much our enrollment can increase before utilizing the one existing cafeteria becomes an issue?  How many students can be served from that one location?  

I understand that they could juggle lunch around some... but how would breakfast work?  I believe at the grade schools breakfast is served to all students who eat  from 7:50 to 8:10 or 8:15.  Wouldn't it already be an awfully large amount of students for the space in just 30 min.... I'm sure there is a plan, but have not heard anyone talking about this particular issue.   It would be a sad thing to be right back at the drawing board in 5 to 10 years over another bond to build a cafeteria............ any insight?

[sixdogsmom]

I have to wonder if the long range plan isn't to build a new highschool after the bond is paid for. Now this is just speculation on my part, as the current highschool building is the least energy efficient of the three bulildings. Moline is the most efficient. But I really think that we will not have to worry about it as I think that population will become so sparse that we will be forced to join another school district.

[Tobina+1]

Tobina, you did not mention in your 'report' that enrollment in the entire district this year is 345 students, that includes gradeschool, jr.highschool, and highschool. This number is down from 450 students year before last. This does not look like an upward trend to me.

I only "reported" what was discussed at the meeting I attended.  The meeting I attended to find out more information on this subject and to have the opportunity to ask questions.  I did not hear that statistic you stated, either.  In fact, the Supt said we lost 27 students.  And he said that was likely due to the changes in the grade schools and how they combined classes and changed around where each grade was attending.

Also, the increasing enrollment I'm referring to is the large amount of kids in pre-K and Kindergarten classes, which will be in school for the next 12 years.  I was merely speculating that indicates an upward trend in enrollment, because I was thinking that if people have kids in pre-K and kindergarten, they likely have other kids at home?  Or that means there is an increase of people having children in the county?  And I mentioned that I know a lot of young couples who are having kids and just starting families (including myself), so that is why I made that personal speculation.

I'm sorry to hear about your financial situation.  It is your right to vote "no" on this bond issue, and I have never said otherwise.  This thread is to answer questions that people have about the proposed bond issue so they can make an informed decision, and take their own financial situation into account as well.

(edited my response to keep this focused on the facts)

[Wilma]

Something has been niggling at me and I finally realized what it is.  I got 65% of my real estate taxes up to $700.00 refunded by filing the Homestead Claim.  The percentage refunded depends on your yearly income.  For income under $6,000.00 a year, 100% of the real estate tax will be refunded.  Income of $9,000.00 to $10,000.00 will get an 84% refund.  The lower your income, the higher the percentage of refund and the higher your income up to $29,100, the lower the percentage.  Even with a $100.00 raise in the tax, after the refund the taxes aren't so high.  Last year this was for people born before January 1, 1951.  It is a Kansas thing, but we do live in Kansas, don't we?

Any which way, I am not worried about an increase in the taxes on my home for the purpose of building a new grade school which should have been done at the same time the high school was built.

[indygal]

I'm in favor of the bond issue and the new elementary, and I'm proud of the school board for not passing this off to the next set of members, leaving the problem for them to solve. It seems to be part of the reason we currently find ourselves with this decision to make.

One of the ladies in the video makes a good point, in that people are focusing on the negatives and not taking into account all the positives a new school can bring to our county. We're aware that things are changing, and change can make some folks uncomfortable. The fact is we have to get off the fence and take action, because doing nothing is not an option. Things WILL change, whether we like it or not, so let us at least choose the direction we wish to go.

I'm no fan of taxes, and $100 a year is a healthy chunk of change. But here's my personal take on it. Anyone who knows my husband and I knows that we do not live in the lap of luxury, but somehow through the years we managed to come up with more than $100 a month to support our nicotine habits. We both recently quit smoking, so for us, a $100 increase in taxes a year is money far better spent. Over the life of the bond, I can't think of a better investment of my $1,500 than to improve the educational situation in Elk County.

Please note well: I did not say everyone has $100 extra just hanging around the house. I'm aware this presents a hardship to some, and I'm in no way making light of that. What I'm saying is I personally am prepared to cut a few corners to make it happen.

It tickles me that there are young couples starting families and choosing to raise them in Elk County. I can think of four just off the top of my head who have recently had babies or are expecting little ones in the next six months. That is so exciting! These children deserve a safe and attractive environment in which to learn. My children and grandchildren live in Indiana, so the children in Elk County are my future, too. Those who choose to stay will help me stay in my home, too.

If a new school means keeping our school district in good stead, if it keeps young families in Elk County, if it provides a safe and efficient learning environment, if it eliminates financial redundancy ... I'm happy to pay less than 30 cents a day.