Community, staff leaders urge bond passage

By Marcus Clem

Though final action to put it on the April 2 ballot isn’t expected until Monday, influential people who have worked and volunteered for the St. Joseph School District are already getting behind a $20 million bond issue.

Bob Miller wears many hats, as pastor of Wellsprings Community Church, track and field coach at Central High School, and in 2022 and 2023, co-chairman of the Vision Forward Community Engagement Team. In that role, he was one of four people who led the effort to get a sense of what St. Joseph constituents want their school district to be, and how they want it to get there. Now, in his athletic role, he is affected by what many have come to consider the embarrassing state of each high school’s track surface, surrounding turf condition and support structures. Miller spoke to how the $20 million expense would be an overdue fix.

“They’ve obviously done a ton of work, getting a lot of input from, you know, lots of people in the school district,” he said. “A lot of people worked really hard to put those numbers together, and obviously, when you have a somewhat limited supply of money, you have to make some tough choices. But, I feel like they’ve done a great job of trying to spread those out over some different categories, impacting different kinds of kids.”

The current borrowing authority would permit up to $80 million to be obtained, without raising the tax levy. The district has chosen instead to stick with a $20 million issue, to conserve the remainder for future needs, and to represent to the voters that the district is not seeking to borrow money just because it can.

The total levy, including debt service and other needs, taxes people at about $4.32 per year, for every $100 in personal property they hold while residing in the school district. It is used to pay off what the district owes over time. The figuring of “$100 in value” varies, depending on the category of property.

St. Joseph National Education Association president Lynnea Wootten said it’s hard to overestimate the impact of $20 million on buying equipment and upgrading classrooms for student artists.

“So much good for so many of our students stands to be the result of a favorable passage of the bond,” said Wootten, who is also Central’s director of bands. “The district has shown their respect of the fine arts teachers by asking the teachers what their students need most, not assume what our students need.”

Board member David Foster said the bond will address needs in academics, activities, athletics, and student safety.

“It’s important to know that the funds could be used to replace old furnaces and add sidewalks that provide safe walking paths for students,” he said. “These are just some of the examples.”

The dollar-for-dollar breakdown on the $20 million bond will be proposed and voted on by the Board of Education at 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Troester Media Center, 3401 Renick St. The board is expected to agree to put the bond issue on the ballot; it must do so by Tuesday to qualify for April 2. Another election could occur, if needed, on Aug. 6.

“Every school in the district stands to benefit from this element of the bond,” Wootten said. “I cannot encourage the community enough to show their support of our students and staff through a passage of this bond.”