BY ANDY TAYLOR
Montgomery County Chronicle
INDEPENDENCE —Independence school district officials are keeping close contact with state lawmakers this week concerning potential cuts in state funding for school improvements projects in local districts.
A bill now pending in a Kansas Senate committee — Senate Bill 20 — would put a delay on the state’s commitment to pay for local construction projects beginning this year. Independence school district patrons will decide next Tuesday, Feb. 3 whether to approve a bond project for $45.1 million in improvements to local schools. As part of the project, some 32 percent of the total project would be financed through state assistance.
In a joint statement issued by USD 446 superintendent Chuck Schmidt and USD 446 Board of Education president Carole Farthing, the two officials said the school board would not issue any bonds until the state assistance — or some other comparable financing package — was in place.
“In the unlikely event that state aid is suspended, the USD 446 Board of Education pledges that it will not sell bonds until the state aid is available, or until there is a viable alternative other than local property tax to replace the state aid. The Board is committed to keeping the property tax portion of our project at or near the current 17% level. If that isn’t possible, the bonds will not be sold,” Farthing and Schmidt said in the statement.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has issued a proposed 2009 budget that would not impact state aid for school construction projects. Senate Bill 20 would put a two-year delay on the state’s commitment to new construction projects.
And, the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Monday approved Senate Bill 23, which calls for a 3.4 percent across-the-board cut to most, if not all, state programs or commitments to state projects.
Those two bills – Senate Bill 20 and Senate Bill 23 — have yet to be voted on by the entire Kansas Senate.
Said Farthing and Schmidt, “Regardless of what happens in Topeka, the Board believes the district needs to move forward with plans because the proposed facility improvements are needed for this community to grow, prosper and attract young families and quality new teachers; our community will benefit from the economic stimulus it will provide during this slumping economy; and, most importantly, because it is important to the future of Independence school children.”
A story in the Jan. 22 edition of the Montgomery County Chronicle had specific details about the $45.1 million bond issue proposal to be voted on by Independence school voters on Feb. 3.
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NOTE: The Montgomery County Chronicle will use its website (www.taylornews.org) to announce results of the Feb. 3 special election questions in USD 446-Independence. Go to the website shortly after 7:30 p.m., to begin seeing the first sets of election results.
Announcement of the results also can be heard at 7 a.m., Wednedsay on the morning newscast for KGGF (690 AM).
