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Bond supporters hopeful about passage
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The reason: Middleton School District voters, in the face of a bad economy, voted Sept. 20 to approve a $51.9 million bond levy for the construction of a new high school. The election in Middleton, 25 miles north of Boise, was a landslide with 86 percent voter approval. Supporters of the La Grande bond levy should be encouraged by such results, said Jan Harris during a meeting of Citizens For School Renovation Tuesday night at Island City’s City Hall. Harris is co-chair of Citizens For School Renovation, a community group leading the campaign for passage of La Grande’s school bond, which voters will decide Nov. 4. Harris believes La Grande bond supporters should draw hope from Middleton, which is experiencing many of the same economic challenges other communities are. “It is nice to know that somewhere a community is passing a school bond,’’ Harris said. She said that Middleton’s passage of the bond is an indication of its “strong commitment to kids and growth.’’ Middleton’s success is one of many reasons supporters of the La Grande School District’s measure should not give up despite shaky local and national economic conditions. Harris said she is hopeful that people will warm up to the bond if they understand things such as the possibility that economic conditions may be on the upturn by November 2009 when the first property tax bills from the bond would be due. “We will have a new president and everything could be moving in a new direction,’’ Harris said. The $18.1 million bond levy would cover the cost of renovation, repairs and capital construction. All are needed because of the deteriorating condition of the La Grande School District’s aging buildings. “We have to preserve our investment. We would be fools not to,’’ Harris said. Several people at Tuesday’s meeting said they must make it clear to voters that passage of the bond levy would have many positive spinoffs. For example, if passed the bond would bring $18 million into the local economy over a two- or three-year period, creating jobs and a financial surge. “It would provide an economic stimulus,’’ said Corrine Dutto, a member of Citizens For School Renovation. The bond would also help lay the foundation for future growth since good schools help attract professionals such as physicians, something essential for getting people to move here. Harris said that over the past several months two physicians who were considering moving their families to La Grande decided not to after seeing the poor condition of its public school buildings. Losing physicians has a negative ripple effect on growth Harris said. She explained that when families are considering moving to a community it looks at three primary things — jobs, the quality of medical care and the quality of its schools. The proposed bond would cost property owners about $1.37 per $1,000 of assessed property value a year for about 21 years. Several people at Tuesday’s meeting noted that one can never project a two-decade period of economic clear-sailing in which a 20-year bond would have the least impact of property owners. It has to be assumed that there will be one or more economic downturns each decade. People thus must focus on the future and not the immediate problems of the present, several people said.
 The Observer/PHIL BULLOCK About 40 people attended Tuesday’s meeting. Few parents of elementary school students were at the meeting. Harris wants to get more elementary parents involved in supporting the bond. “They will be blessed the most by the bond. We need to let the community see that people who will be benefiting from the bond are working for passage of the bond,’’ Harris said. She hopes that parents and everyone in the community begin to view the bond as much more than a pocketbook issue. “It isn’t just about money. It is about a commitment to kids,’’ Harris said. Harris said that youths will feel better about themselves and their community if they see that adults are committed to providing good schools. “If children have crowded classrooms and leaky roofs at school how do you think they feel the community feels about them?’’ Harris said. “And how do you think they will feel about the community?’’ By contrast, if children have good schools and see that the community cares about them they will feel valued and want to step forward and help when they are adults. People who want to assist Citizens For School Renovation or learn more about it should go to www.lagrandeschoolbond.org . |
