Voters in the AGWSR School District voted down a proposed $12.76 million bond issue for facility upgrades and classroom improvements during November’s city/school election.
The measure received 54.56% approval out of 1,151 votes cast. School bond issues need 60% approval to pass. AGWSR Superintendent Ben Petty tells RadioOnTheGo News the district is still evaluating what is next as they look to survey the community following the vote.
“That’s a likely next step that we’re going to do to see if there was maybe a certain component to the bond issue that brought out maybe a little bit more opposition or a little bit more negativity. And then to see if, if that’s out there, you know, pulling that out, do we go forward with another bond vote or does the board perhaps try and save up for a couple of years and tackle some of these projects? We know they can’t all be done over the next several years without a bond referendum. But those will be some of those ongoing discussions we’re going to need to have over the next couple of years because some of these things are certainly critical. We’re going to have to try and think bite off some of that over the next year or two.”
Petty says one of the more important projects to look into right now are HVAC upgrades at the high school. Other projects in the bond included new bus barns in Ackley and Wellsburg, plumbing, electrical and roofing improvements. Petty says in the wake of the failed bond, they must connect with every community in the district.
“Try and get the word out as frequently as we can and in different communities. Yeah, we were actually just talking a little bit about the size of the district today in light of the snowstorm and clearing roads and all of that kind of stuff. So, yep, it’s definitely a large district and we’ve got to keep working to, you know, get the word out and generate support.”
As the district reevaluates its priorities, Petty says the path ahead will depend on hearing from families, staff and residents in every corner of the district before deciding on any revised proposal.
