(SBA) - “Oh, we’ve got trouble,” admonished Prof. Harold Hill in Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man” as he seeks to warn the residents of River City about the perils of a pool hall in their town. Like River City, Sergeant Bluff faces trouble if we fail to pass the most recent bond issue that is coming up for vote on Election Day 2024. Over the past fifteen years, our school district has attempted six times to pass a bond referendum designed to keep our school district among the top schools in our state. We know that young families choose Sergeant Bluff as their residence because our school district is excellent. But to keep it so, we must grow in depth and breadth and such growth costs money. The 2024 Bond Referendum is “The Sergeant Bluff-Luton Community School District calls for an election on November 5, 2024, to authorize general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $54,600,000 for facility infrastructure and learning environment upgrades and improvements.” Past bond issues have failed for a number of reasons, but predominantly because the district has not listened to what all residents want in an improved school system. In preparation for the 2024 bond, the district has engaged the community for the past two years through 15 Listening Sessions, 8 Facility Team Meetings, 3 CommCon Events, 2 Handouts, 1 Community Mailer and 1 Community Survey as a way of ascertaining a long range plan that fits the needs of all Sergeant Bluff residents. A long-range master plan was developed as a three-phase plan with phase one addressing the need for a new primary extension with a cost to homeowners of about $9.85/month per $100,000 of assessed valuation. As the average home in Sergeant Bluff is assessed at $276,541, the average homeowner would pay $29.29 per month over the length of the bond. Phases two and three, which focus on a new high school, will not add any additional taxes to homeowners in our district. The funds raised by this referendum can, by law, only be used for items stated in the ballot and finances are audited for compliance every year.
Some may wonder why the district needs additional funds, but major repairs and upgrades cannot be met without community support. School budgets meet only day-to-day expenses including salaries and supplies, but do not allow for the inevitable major repairs of buildings or the necessary improvements needed due to City-wide population growth and the technical needs that will ensure that our students are prepared. The idea that open enrollment has been a major factor in the school’s growth is a fallacy. The state of Iowa mandates that if there is a student who wishes to open enroll in another district, then that student must be admitted to their desired district, if there is room for that student to enroll. Sergeant Bluff has very little open enrollment because we simply do not have the space and/or resources to admit additional non-district students. Open enrollment acceptance will not be affected in the proposed bond referendum.
If you have visited any of the school buildings in our district, the needs there are clear. Our primary building was built in 1959 and no longer meets the requirements necessary to educate PK-2 students. The Primary School addition will provide up-to-date classroom designs, meet accessibility requirements and provide shared spaces and resources with the grades 3-5 Elementary School (kitchen, music and art), a separate secure entrance and bus lane and no additional traffic on Port Neal Road. Projects in Phase two address the needs of a high school constructed in 1977 including replacing the energy management system and digital controls, upgrading lighting to LED, improving the main electrical service and distribution system, replacing the ceiling grid, upgrading the fire alarm system and replacing the boiler and classroom ventilation systems. Phase three will include constructing a new Career and Technical Education (CTE) building in partnership with Western Iowa Tech. The facility will house programs including Industrial Tech, Health Sciences and Family and Consumer Sciences and fostering partnerships with local businesses and industries. The cost of a traditional college education today is astronomical, and this new facility would offer options for students to train in fields far less expensive upfront, with the potential to earn greater paychecks than those who complete traditional college degrees.
Fully one-third of eligible voters will vote “no” to any question posed in a referendum under any circumstances, so in order to move forward towards a bright future for our Sergeant Bluff-Luton School District, all of us who want a vibrant and comprehensive future for our children must vote in the affirmative so that we can finally pass a much needed, much delayed bond issue for our community. Professor Harold Hill was able to keep trouble out of River City, and passing our newest bond will keep trouble out of our City, as well. Dale and I took advantage of the opportunity for early voting last week at the Long Lines Family Rec Center and we have cast our votes FOR the future of our City. We hope that you will do the same!
