The Hancock-Henderson Quill, Inc.
Community meetings are coming up
by David Grimes, Quill Correspondent
CARTHAGE- As proponents of a proposed new high school district being created and construction of a new high school facility in Hancock County prepare for an ambitious schedule of community information meetings leading up to an April 5 referendum, the question of available state funding for the building project figures largely in how the proposal will be presented to the public.
Convergence of four high schools - Dallas City, LaHarpe, Nauvoo-Colusa and Carthage - will be decided by voters in those school districts in less than 90 days. A building bond question will accompany the convergence question on the ballot.
Passage of the convergence proposal requires 50 percent of the vote plus 1 vote in each of the school districts involved. But the state mandates passage of the building bond measure requiring two-thirds of the overall vote if bonded indebtedness exceeds 6.9 percent.
Estimated cost of building the facility would be underwritten by state capital development board dollars and local taxes, if available.
The four districts made application for CDB funds about a year ago and are currently on a waiting list that extends back two years, but the convergence group has yet to hear whether the $8 million requested will be forthcoming before the April referendum.
Local funding - about $10 million - would provide the remainder of the total construction amount.
Combined assessed valuation within the four Hancock school districts stands at $140 million. That valuation multiplied by the prescribed 6.9 percent comes out $9.6 million, covering most of the districts' portion of the proposed construction costs.
But if the state doesn't come up with the remaining $8 million, what options remain?
"Those are some of the things we're studying in preparation for the community meetings," said Committee of 10 and finance sub-committee member Kevin Deitrich, Carthage.
One possibility is for the four existing school districts to delay the start of construction for up to five years with students continuing to attend school at their current sites.
Whether state funding shows up in time for this April's ballot or down the road, the committee expects ballot question verbiage to include the $18 million figure.
INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS SET
Community information meetings on the proposed convergence are scheduled for:
Feb. 17 at Nauvoo-Colusa,
Feb. 18 - LaHarpe,
Feb. 24 - Carthage
Feb. 25 - Dallas City.
Meetings with school architects are slated for
March 17 in Dallas City,
March 18 - Carthage,
March 24 - LaHarpe and
March 25 - Nauvoo-Colusa.
For more information of the proposed high school convergence meetings, contact
Marvin Boyer
(217) 357-2784.