about The Montezuma School District’s
2010 General Obligation Bond Election
1. When is the election?
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
2. Where can I vote and what time are the polls open?
Voting will take place at the Montezuma City Library from 7am to 8 pm.
3. Why is the election on September 14th and not in November with the general election?
Schools can have elections four times per year. The general election in November is not one of the available dates.
4. Who can vote in this election?
Any eligible, registered resident of the Montezuma Community School District can vote.
5. How do I register to vote?
You can register to vote prior to the election at the Auditor’s Office in Montezuma. You can also register to vote on-line at: http://www.sos.state.ia.us/elections/voterinformation/voterregistration.html
Or
You can register to vote on Election Day if you bring proof of residence and identity with you to the voting poll.
6. What if I live in the Montezuma School District but my children open enroll to a different school, can I still vote?
Yes. You are eligible to vote if you are a registered voter residing in the Montezuma School District.
7. Can I vote absentee?
Yes. Absentee ballots are available beginning August 5th at the Auditor’s Office in Montezuma or the request form is available on-line at: http://www.sos.state.ia.us/elections/electioninfo/absenteeinfo.html
8. What percentage of “yes” votes is required for passage of the bond issue?
60%
9. On the sample ballot there are 2 questions that I have to vote on, why is this?
The 1st question asks whether you support the borrowing of the money by the school district; the 2nd question asks if you support the increase in property taxes. In order for the measure to pass both questions must have the required 60% voter approval rate.
10. How much money will be raised by the issuing of these school bonds?
Approximately $11,535,000.
11. What will the money be used for?
To defray the costs of constructing, equipping, and furnishing some new classrooms; remodeling,
equipping, and furnishing additions to the existing school building, and remodeling, improving,
and furnishing existing school classrooms and parking areas.
12. How will this bond election affect my property taxes?
Property taxes will increase between $2.80 and $4.05 per one thousand dollars of assessed valuation depending on the valuation of property in the district at the time the bonds are sold. Because agricultural property, residential property and commercial property are taxed differently, the exact amount of property tax for each type of property will be different.
For a Property Tax Calculator, go to the school’s web page at: http://www.montezuma.k12.ia.us/
Select the “Bond Issue” button from the banner at the top of the page. There you will find the property tax calculator listed.
13. How much debt does the school district currently have?
$0 (zero).
14. When was the last time the school district borrowed money for a building project?
In June of 1989 the votes of the Montezuma School District approved the borrowing of $1.5 million for an addition to the elementary school.
15. What is the tax rate of the Montezuma School District for the 2010-11 school year and how does this compare with our neighbors? (Stated in dollars per thousand)
16. How is the One Cent Sales Tax going to be used for this project?
The school district will borrow against future proceeds of the one cent sales tax to generate approximately $3.63 million to be used for the project.
17. For as much money as we are talking about spending on this project, why don’t we just build a new building?
The short answer is we can’t afford to build an entirely new building to replace the existing facility. Our current building is approximately 100,000 square feet in size. New construction is estimated at $225 per square foot. A new building of the same size as we have now would cost at least $22.5 million. Currently our total current bonding capacity (maximum debt allowed by law) is approximately $19.4 million.
18. With so much concern and news about the lack of funding for schools, how can we afford to be building right now?
A school’s budget is broken up into several “pots” of money. Salaries, benefits, utilities, supplies and materials are funded through the General Fund. The General Fund has been most affected by recent cuts in state aid by the Legislature. While General Fund money can be used for construction, it is much more common for a school to use (and/or borrow against) its One Cent Sales Tax proceeds and or to ask the voters to approve debt through the issuing of bonds. The debt bonds are then repaid with the additional property tax collected so a school does not have to use General Fund money to make the payments.
19. Do we need to renovate our building if our enrollment is dropping?
20. Are our students at Montezuma Schools performing academically as well as they should be?
Montezuma students perform well on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS) for students in grades 4-8 and the Iowa Tests of Educational Development (ITED) for students in grades 9-11 when compared to the state average. The following information comes from the Iowa Department of Education’s School Profile website at: http://www.iowaschoolprofiles.com/.
• For 2006-08 88.68 percent of Montezuma students in the 4th grade are proficient in reading as compared to the state average of 78.87 percent proficient.
• For 2006-08 86.79 percent of Montezuma students in the 4th grade are proficient in math as compared to the state average of 80.78 percent proficient.
• For 2006-08 73.33 percent of Montezuma students in the 8th grade are proficient in reading as compared to the state average of 72.53 percent proficient.
• For 2006-08 77.72 percent of Montezuma students in the 8th grade are proficient in math as compared to the state average of 76.09 percent proficient.
• For 2006-08 76.74 percent of Montezuma students in the 11th grade are proficient in reading as compared to the state average of 77 percent proficient.
• For 2006-08 81.61 percent of Montezuma students in the 11th grade are proficient in math as compared to the state average of 78.36 percent proficient.
• For the 2007 school year Montezuma Schools reported a graduation rate of 96.55 percent as compared to the state average of 90.49 percent.
21. What is the breakdown of the costs of the projects?
General estimates:
of the project. Costs do not include the cost of hazardous materials abatement, contingency
allowances or project development expenses and fees.
22. The estimated budget of $17,014,000 for the project is more money than the $15,000,000 that will be raised for the project though the bond election ($11,500,000) and borrowing against our sales tax ($3,600,000). Why is this?
We are estimating that the costs used to plan the project are 10% to 15% higher than they will likely be when bid. Alternate bids on some aspects of the project will also be used to lower costs if necessary and some things may have to be cut out or deferred if bids are higher than anticipated and the total cost of the project is more than we can afford.
23. How long will construction and/or remodeling take?
Approximately 2 ½ years. The work will be done in phases so some parts of the building will be completed before others. If construction starts in the spring of 2011, the project will be totally completed by December 2012.
24. Because of the economy, is this a good time to have a bond election?
From the school district’s perspective, this is an excellent time for a bond election. Interest rates are very low, thus less money will be spent on interest and more can be spent on the project. Construction companies are giving very competitive bids and it is estimated that the project could cost 10% to 15% less than estimated thus allowing us to do more with the funds.
25. Why is this building project important to the community?
The school is a vital aspect of our community. The community needs the school to be an institution that can offer a first-class, quality education to all students; be a pre-K through 12 school for many years to come; and be a facility that can be used for a variety of purposes by the community. The Board feels it is time to make a financial investment our school’s physical building that will last for many years to come.
26. Where can I see pictures of the need for this project and get other information about the plans?
a. Go to the school’s web page at: http://www.montezuma.k12.ia.us/
b. Click on the “Bond Issue” button on the top of the page and there will be several informational items to look over.
c. Check out Support M.O.N.T.E.’s blog @ http://www.supportmonte.blogspot.com/
d. Check out Support M.O.N.T.E.’s Facebook page @ “Support M.O.N.T.E.”
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