Sept. 13, citizens of the Newton Community School District will go to the polls to vote on building a new middle school, which will house grades 5-8.
Varying reasons heard in the community for voting against a new middle include the purchase and remodeling of the new administration building and the reconfiguration of the elementary grade levels. Other reasons have been heard but these two seem to be the most prevalent.
I would like to address those arguments. The purchase and remodeling of the new administration building was done with school sales tax monies (SAVE). SAVE dollars cannot be used for expenses the general fund covers. No tax dollars levied for schools were used for this purchase. Budgeted PPEL funds were used for interactive technology in the professional development rooms. Finally, and most importantly, the needs and health of the Berg facility are unrelated to the purchase of the administration building.
The reconfiguration of grade levels within our elementary buildings is, also, unrelated to the needs and condition of the Berg building. The needs and health of this building would still need to be addressed even if no change had been made in grade levels within the elementary buildings.
A new building can be built with the least amount of impact to the learning environment. Doing a rehabilitation of the existing building would occur during the educational year. This would mean much disruption to teachers and students, and it would mean obtaining portable classrooms for teachers and students. The estimate in October 2014 for the rehabilitation of the Berg building was almost $18 million — $650,000 of that figure was for portable classrooms. That is a shocking amount.
It is inevitable the district must do something with this building. What you, the taxpayer, need to ask yourself is would it be wiser to spend $18 million rehabbing a building, which would not address all of the needs of the building, or would it be wiser to spend $32 million, which will address all of these things.
The school board is levying less for schools today than they were in 2007. The current levy is $15.76 per thousand for the 2017 (current) school year. In 2007 the amount being levied for schools was $16.91. When the bond referendum is passed the tax levy will then increase eight cents per thousand. The total levy for schools will then be $15.84, compared to $16.91 in 2007.
Newtonians, I know you love your community. I know your Red Pride runs deep. I hope you will join me in voting yes on Sept. 13. Vote yes for kids — your kid, someone else’s kid. Vote yes on Sept. 13.
Fran Henderson
Newton