Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

School election set for September 18

The Prescott School Board and district administrators are asking patrons to approve a measure that would allow them to refinance existing bonds in order to raise additional funds. The request does not include an increase in millage.

The measure will be on the school election ballot and voters will cast their selections on Sept. 18 at the Nevada High School lobby. Polls are open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Early voting will end on Sept. 17. Early ballots may be cast at the Nevada County Courthouse.

Prescott Superintendent Hyacinth Deon has addressed the Prescott City County, the Prescott Rotary Club and others over the past weeks in an effort to answer questions about the measure. She said her main concern is that the ballot requires voters to vote for tax or against tax. Deon said that could be misleading, especially since the accompanying information is quite lengthy. In essence, the for tax vote allows the district to refinance existing bonds but does not increase the mills collected by the district. That means voters will have no increase in their individual or business taxes by voting for the measure. Against tax means that the district wont be allowed to refinance the bonds.

According to Deon, the restructuring plan is similar to refinancing a house. The district has an existing bond issue that has now reached the point that its eligible for refinance. If approved, the district issues new bonds, pays of the existing bonds and has money left over from the new issue - all in one transaction. That means that the district will have an influx of cash money to handle some required repairs and renovations.

Several years ago, the state conducted district-wide surveys of schools, then issued a list of improvements and renovations they felt were necessary. The district was then required to create a three-year plan outlining which projects would be completed over a specific period of time. While the district can elect to make some changes in that plan, the state requires that progress is made toward those mandated changes.

The district has struggled in past years to pay for renovations and repairs that had been planned. In some cases, projects have been put off until the following year. For example, the board voted last year to eliminate the fire alarm system for McRae Middle School from their planned projects, moving that project to this years list.

Deon told members of the Prescott City Council that the state would require that the district continue putting the current refinancing measure before the voters until it passed. Deon said the cost of special elections would be significant, and said that she hopes it doesnt come to that.

Meanwhile, the district has planned a meeting on Thursday, Sept. 13, at the PHS lobby. Anyone with questions or comments is encouraged to attend that meeting. The phone number for the schools administrative office is 887-3016.