The Columbus Municipal School District will seek voter approval for a bond that would provide the district with roughly $30 million for repairs and renovations to its aging school infrastructure.
In December the CMSD Board of Trustees commissioned architectural firm PryorMorrow to study current conditions and needed improvements for facilities district-wide. The study estimated total costs for all needed improvements at around $96 million, but the board will target the $30-million figure by prioritizing the projects covered in the PryorMorrow report.
How does the board plan to pay for that $30 million in projects?
In 2008, voters approved a $22 million bond to build Columbus Middle School. The bond was financed by a tax increase on real estate within the district. That tax now amounts to 11.85 mills. That bond is set to be retired in April, and CMSD hopes to issue another $30 million in bonds. A referendum will be required for the taxes needed to service that debt.
The board does not want to exceed the current millage for the new bond, which means taxpayers wouldn’t necessarily see a bigger tax bill than what they’ve seen in recent years. Staying at or slightly below that threshold should make the new bond, which must be approved by 60 percent of voters, an easier sell. If a referendum fails, city of Columbus property taxes would decrease 11.85 mills – approximately $118 per $100,000 in home value.
Board president Telisa Young confirmed to The Dispatch Tuesday that CMSD is aiming to hold a May vote on the issue. This seems fast, and we urge the board to resist the temptation to ram-rod the plan through to the voters.
Voters are generally supportive of school bond debt when they are properly informed. In 2008, voters approved the bond to build CMS by an almost unheard of 79 percent of the vote. The success of that campaign was attributed in large part to the efforts of then-school superintendent Del Phillips, who lobbied for the bond for months, making his case to voters and stakeholders over and over. Philips laid out the plans for the school clearly and effectively and voters responded in an unprecedented way.
It would be reckless to assume that voters will automatically approve this new bond, though. Like any consumer, people want to know what they’re spending their money on and be convinced that those dollars will be put to the best use possible.
That means the district must clearly identify projects that benefit students and/or decrease operational expenses. The devil is in the details. Clearly identifying the projects the bond money will be devoted to will go a long way in building public support for the bond. In 2014 a referendum for Lowndes County schools failed in part due to poor communication. It passed the following year after a more deliberate effort to educate the public.
Giving the taxpayer a good reason to spend that money is essential, even if it means devoting months to planning and promoting the bond issue.
A rushed effort jeopardizes success.
That means nailing down exactly what projects will be funded and explaining to voters why those projects are essential to the future of the district.
There is a lot of work to do between now and the time the board asks for a vote on the bond proposal.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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