Citizen panel backs bond in Caldwell
crunkle@idahopress.com
Sunday, October 21st, 2007
CALDWELL — Caldwell citizens who toured the city’s schools say a $30 bond measure on the ballot Thursday will provide much-needed improvements affecting hundreds of children.
A facility review committee of parents, patrons and others visited the district’s schools earlier in the year to determine projects that should be a top priority. After the board approved the bond resolution this summer, many of those same people formed a community bond ad hoc committee to let residents know about the election.
Jenna Zamora, who has two children at Van Buren Elementary School and another at Caldwell’s Jefferson Middle School, served on the facilities review committee and is co-chair of the bond committee.
The Caldwell School District bond election runs from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday. District residents can vote at the following schools:
• Lewis & Clark Elementary School, 1102 E. Laster
• Sacajawea Elementary School, 1710 N. Illinois
• Van Buren Elementary School, 516 N. 11th Ave.
• Washington Elementary School, 1500 Fillmore
• Wilson Elementary School, 400 E. Linden
Wilder seeks bond for remodel
In Wilder, voters will be asked to approve a $3.1 million bond to remodel the district’s only elementary school, built in 1955.
The passage of the bond would allow the district to:
• Create an indoor hallway that would encase the school. The school currently has no interior hallways.
• Rewire classrooms.
• Add fire sprinklers.
• Install central heating and air conditioning.
• Remodel classrooms and expand the library.
• Build an office facing town that is clearly visible to parents and visitors. The office now sits at the back of the school and is difficult to locate.
Construction on the building would begin next spring. The renovated building will be about 23,100 square feet, more than 7,000 square feet larger than the current building.
Administrators say the bond, if passed, would likely raise the levy rate to $2.99 per $1,000 of assessed property value. Last year, it was $2.34 per $1,000, but over the past five years, the levy rate in Wilder has averaged $2.61.
• Wilder School District residents can vote on the bond from noon to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Wilder School District office boardroom, 210 A Ave. E.
How a bond works
According to Idaho law, a bond can be used to acquire, purchase or improve a school site; to build a schoolhouse or other building; to demolish or remove school buildings; to add to, remodel or repair any existing building; to furnish and equip any building, including all lighting, heating, ventilation and sanitation facilities and appliances necessary; and to purchase school buses.
A bond is a loan that gets broken into pieces that investors buy, according to Eric Heringer, senior vice president of Seattle-Northwest Securities Corp., the investment banker for the Caldwell School District. The bond is paid back over time with revenue from property taxes, and the state also contributes money to help districts repay their bonds.
The retirement of old bonds (two Caldwell bonds will retire in 2015 and 2019) gives districts the ability to pay more on newer bonds.
A typical school district can issue bonds for no more than 5 percent of the market value for assessment purposes thereof, minus the district’s existing debt. The bond will amortize over 20 years.
If a school district fails to pass its bond, it must wait six months before bringing another bond before voters.
Senior citizens, disabled people, or widows and widowers with an adjusted gross income of $28,000 or less per year may file a circuit breaker property tax exemption with the county assessor’s office.
“Because we got to tour through all the schools,” she said, “it really makes you realize how much needs to improve.”
While the district has made repairs at the affected schools, Zamora said it’s time for a major overhaul.
“You can only fix things ... for so long before they need to be replaced,” she said.
The bond would:
• Rebuild Washington Elementary School, built in 1903, to hold up to 750 students. The new school, which would be built at Montana and Alder, would cost $10 million.
• Rebuild Van Buren Elementary School, built in 1941, to also hold up to 750 students. The new school, which would be built at Marble Front and Lincoln, would cost $10 million.
Both elementary schools would be high-efficiency buildings to save on energy costs. If the bond passes, officials anticipate the new schools to open in fall 2009.
Other components would:
• Retrofit existing schools with energy-saving features, including heating and air conditioning upgrades, boiler replacements and lighting upgrades. The projects would cost $6 million and would pay for themselves in 20 years, district officials say.
• Remodel the old Van Buren Elementary building, after students move out, to house Canyon Springs Alternative High School and district administrative offices. The renovated building would open in spring or fall of 2010, and the work would cost $4 million.
Some patrons have been concerned about moving the alternative school to Van Buren, which is in an older part of Caldwell.
Superintendent Roger Quarles said that having the school share a building with district offices will give administrators and staff the opportunity to mentor those students and would show the community that if the building is good enough for district staff, it’s good enough for students.
Lori Thompson, a facilities review committee member and co-chair of the bond committee with Zamora, agreed that the improvements are necessary.
“It’s important we have good schools and good learning environments for these kids,” she said.
Quarles said the bond would not raise the tax levy rate from its current rate of $2.72 per $1,000 of assessed value.
