By Michael Howell
Needless to say, the Hamilton School District administration is ecstatic at the voters’ approval of a $400,000 General Fund levy and a $9.75 million bond. The Bond was approved by a vote of 2,754 to 2,108. The vote on the levy was closer, with 2,483 approving the levy and 2,402 voting against it.
“Obviously we are extremely excited,” said Hamilton School District Superintendent Tom Korst, “and we are very, very appreciative of the voters’ support.”
In order not to change the tax burden on school district residents, the approved general fund levy will not be implemented until 2018 when the existing bond will be retired. The combined taxes approved in the general fund levy and the new bond that was approved together will not increase anybody’s taxes, according to Korst. He said the amount being collected on the bond being retired is about $4.85 per month for a house valued at $100,000 and that amount would not change when the new bond and levy go into effect and the old bond is retired in 2018.
Korst said that work would begin right away to finalize the design for the Daly School improvements and the relocation of the track and field area from Westview to the high school grounds. He said the bonds would most likely be put up for sale this fall and bids would go out in January. He said construction would most likely begin the following spring.
“It could take longer,” he said, “but we are hoping to get into the new Daly School building by the fall of 2019.”
Korst said that the board would also begin looking at the potential sale of the Westview and Washington properties. He said with a shrinking enrollment and a consolidated campus they would most likely consider disposing of the properties.
Kosrt said that he was especially excited about the way the vote turned out because “failure would have been a very big deal.”
It was not just the needed changes in the facilities that would have been nixed, but many of the existing programs that the school district has developed in recent years. The voter approved funding for the general fund raises the district to 94% of what is considered adequate by the state for a school this size.
“Five years ago we were at 86.5%,” said Korst. “I just want to say a big thank you to the community for that.”
Despite the euphoria following the approval of the funds, it is the beginning of a lot of work, according to Korst. He said enrollment numbers may not be improving anytime soon, but with this voter approved bond and levy, Hamilton is making a very positive move into the future.