CLEARWATER TRIBUNE HOME

JULY 22, 2010

$3.85 million school bond goes to voters Sept. 2

   After months of deliberation, community workshop meetings and a certified telephone poll of the School District #171 patrons the school board passed a motion to present to the voters a bond in the amount of $3.85 million. The bond election will be held Sept. 2 and will be used for building and maintenance.

   Multiple studies and cuts were made to reduce the School District #171 bond amount to $3.85 million. The earlier estimate was around $6 million.

   The net cost of the bond to taxpayers will be $2.375 million at a tax rate per $1,000 of .24 cents. Annual impact on a $100,000 property value without Homeowner’s Exemption would be $24 a year, and with Homeowner’s Exemption would be $12 a year.

   The funds will be used for:

   *Remodeling kitchen at Orofino Elementary School (OES).

   *Bus turn-around at OES.

   *Classroom additions at Orofino High School and Timberline Schools.

   Two projects, the addition of multi-purpose rooms at Orofino and Timberline, least favored in the survey, were cut from the plans.           

   In the telephone survey conducted by an educational consultant with Design West Architects, 74% of the respondents voted yes to remove current temporary classroom units and replace them with permanent educational energy efficient structures.

   Fifty-nine percent approved the district’s overall performance in providing remodeling, updating, upgrading and maintaining the district-wide schools.

   One of the strongest positive responses was to adding a new bus safety loading zone and parking area at OES. This received a 65% approval.

   Sixty-two percent approved constructing additional classrooms at Timberline to replace the portables.

   Remodeling the kitchen at OES received a 62% approval. About half of the respondents disapproved of building multi-purpose rooms at OHS and Timberline.

   About half of the respondents disapproved of constructing multi-purpose buildings at Orofino High School and Timberline Schools.

   Sixty-eight percent of the respondents were ages 55 plus and 94% owned their own homes.

   Reasons for not participating in the survey were 19% not interested, 8% hung up, 5% were too busy to take the time, 21% said they did not do surveys and 11% had no children and would not respond.

Information on bond costs

   The par amount of the 17-year bond is $3.85 million with net interest of $327,000.

   Sinking fund earnings are $967,000 and levy equalization is $835,000. Bond issuance costs are $63,785. Bond type is QSCB.