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Letter To The Editor
I would like to urge the voters of the Randoph school district to seriously think about the impact of the proposed $9.75 million bond on the ballot this November. You have received flyers in the mail stressing how we need to support our children now and into the future, and I agree with that, but in this bond request there are needs and wants. I know there are some building updates that need attention, but I do not believe we need a new CTE (Ag building) of 13,000 square feet at a price tag of more than $4 million. In this new CTE building there will be two businesses – Cardinal Cam and Cardinal Creation. There is nothing stated in Nebraska public school district finance that taxpayers of a school district are required to finance business ventures in the public school. We have been told one of the reasons we need the new CTE building is for more space for these two businesses. There has been no financial transparency of these two businesses with the public. The classes that will be taught in this building are all elective, so one year in this building may have 20 students, and the next year the number may only be two or three.
I also don’t believe we need a serving kitchen in the elementary, or a $1.4 million renovation of the restrooms in the elementary. With the passage of a $9.75 million bond also comes an interest payment over the 20-year loan of more than $4 million. This will raise our property tax request by 20 percent or more over the next 20 years just for the bond.
We all know the regular budget will keep going up and there will also be other building updates that have to be funded. In the Randolph school district, like many other rural schools in Nebraska, ag producers pay the lion’s share of property tax to fund the schools. I am concerned what this will do to our current and future ag producers. Farms are not going to get smaller, and we will lose more of those producers. Not every bond passes the first time, so the administration can come back with something more realistic, if the bond fails. I have talked to many voters who also feel this is just too much, too many ‘wants,’ not necessarily ‘needs.’
For the last two years we were in a basketball coop for boys and girls because of a lack of numbers. Right now we are seeing a slight bump in enrollment but that is going to keep changing up and down. I believe things could really look a lot different in Randolph in the next 10 years.
I do want good things for our kids, but buildings and facilities do not grow our children into well-rounded educated adults – people do – teachers, parents, grandparents, all of us. These kids are watching us every day. I will be voting ‘no’ on this bond request.
- Dan Backer Former School Board Member
