By Bob Strohm
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com
Sometimes help begins at home and if the Colonel Crawford school district wants state aid for a new high school wing that aid may have to begin with a half-mil levy. The Colonel Crawford Board of Education spoke at its meeting on Monday about the possibility of putting the half-mil maintenance levy back on the ballot as soon as April.
While explaining the resolution for Treasurer Vickie Stump to earmark $57,768 per year for maintenance from 2014-2036, Colonel Crawford Superintendent Todd Martin explained to the board that “after two years we have no clue how the state will finance. We need to go back to the ballot so we can have more control of the project.”
Martin further explained why the school needs the half mil to be set aside for such a long period.
“The big reason we need this half mil, one, the state keeps leaning to us, the way it is worded now, you have to have a half mil to proceed to prove that you can maintain a building 23 years out,” Martin said. “When they did the K-12, or the K-8 building, you didn’t need to have that provision to have to do it. So they never passed a half mil. So we have been maintaining this building on general funds.
“So now when we are adding a wing they are coming to us, ‘you got to show us some kind of good faith that you can maintain a building for 23 years,’” Martin continued. “When we are looking at a deficit three or four years out like every other school district and keep pushing it back, it is tough to prove to the state we could maintain the building and make use of the money without making this guarantee. So they had us move some inside millage without affecting any of the current voters’ current taxes to say that we in good faith could maintain this structure if they built it.”
The school board will discuss the half-mil issue further at December’s board meeting, with a possible resolution coming as early as January in order to make the April election.
The board approved all items on the consent agenda including the purchase of two buses. The buses will be financed at $33,459 per year over the next five years. Colonel Crawford now has 16 buses in their fleet. The oldest bus still in use by the school is a 1986 Chevy.
The board of also accepted the resignation of Dorothy Clutter as secretary of the William Crawford Intermediate School effective Dec. 1. Jennifer Niedermier was also approved for the soon vacated secretary position.
Due to Colonel Crawford Christmas programs, the Colonel Crawford Board of Education will meet 16 at 7 p.m. on Dec. 16 in the William and Hannah Media Center.