4/4/2009

Voters to determine if district becomes part of Rock Hills or Beloit

Jewell students' fate to be decided

By TIM UNRUH

Salina Journal

If you throw out the legal jargon hinged to school consolidation, Tuesday's question to school patrons in Jewell County has two possible outcomes, and one isn't on the ballot.

Voters in the school districts of Rock Hills and Jewell will decide whether to merge. If either district votes "no," Jewell's school district will transfer to the Beloit district.

Jewell Principal Eric Burks has explained it this way for weeks:

" 'Yes' means the buses and money will run north, and 'no' means the buses and money will run south," he said.

Either way, the Jewell school district will be part of another school district when classes start this fall.

Rock Hills, based in Mankato, is 10.3 miles north of Jewell and Beloit is 16.5 miles south of Jewell, according to the online Google Maps driving distance calculator.

School officials have explained the process in a number of public meetings, most recently Wednesday night at the Jewell Community Center. Superintendents Bob Tipton, of Jewell, Bill Walker, of Rock Hills, and Joe Harrison, of Beloit, met with folks to outline plans.

"The whole deal is to make sure we have well-educated, informed voters who are hitting the polls next Tuesday," Burks said.

Local races and special questions all over Kansas are set to be decided Tuesday.

As the election nears, voters in the Jewell district are leaning in both directions, Burks said. He is a 1992 Jewell High School graduate.

"I think it's going to be close, which in some ways is unfortunate, because it's going to divide the community," he said. "A lot depends on how many people go out and vote."

An interim combined board from Jewell and Rock Hills has met five times this spring to hammer out details.

If consolidation is approved, Jewell Wildcats would become Rock Hills Grizzlies, but the district will be renamed Jewell County Schools. With consolidation, all of Jewell's school buildings and the junior high in Burr Oak would close, leaving only the buildings in Mankato, Walker said.

Rock Hills formed as a result of a consolidation in 2006 of the former White Rock School District in Esbon and Burr Oak with Mankato schools. Jewell was given the option to be part of that consolidation but declined.

Walker said the 2006 merger went smoothly.

"It's worked exceedingly well with two of us, and there's no reason why it wouldn't have worked just as well with all three of us," he said.

While he's "optimistic" that all of the county schools will unite, he's prepared if the consolidation is defeated.

"We're going to survive with or without it," Walker said.

Ready to move

Beloit is ready to work on a transfer of territory should the "no" votes prevail Tuesday in Jewell County.

Currently, 23 students from the Jewell district are attending Beloit schools and 11 are attending Rock Hills schools.

Rock Hills currently has 289 students, and Beloit has 717.

Superintendent Harrison said he's unsure how many of the 94 students at Jewell will head south to school next year.

"I've done my figures as if all of them are coming. That's the best-case scenario. But I know we won't get all of them," he said. "Obviously, we would like to have them."

Regardless of the election results, parents and students can choose where to attend school.

"The vote just decides where the money and buses run," Burks said. "Families will decide what's best for them."

Other area questions

Money issues could lure many voters to the polls Tuesday as several counties have questions on their ballots pertaining to sales and property taxes:

nThe Chapman School District is asking voters to approve issuance of $8.2 million in general obligation bonds to pay for a share of the cost to demolish, renovate and rebuild schools ravaged by the June 11 tornado. The total cost is estimated at more than $75.1 million.

nGraham County seeks a 1 percent sales tax that would raise about $400,000 a year for health care services.

The money can be used to support the operations of Graham County Hospital, the nursing home, county health department or the emergency medical service, said Doug Newman, hospital administrator.

The hospital also is supported by a property tax levy that produces $300,000 or more a year. In health care, costs are going up, he said.

"The uninsured usage in the emergency room is a concern," Newman said. "In the fall, when the oil industry started tanking, there were a lot of layoffs. Those people had well-paying jobs and were insured."

If approved, the sales tax will jump from 5.55 percent to 6.55 percent in the county, and from 6.55 percent to 7.55 percent in Hill City.

Graham County commissioners will decide how long the tax will be in effect.

nA measure to renew a 0.5 percent sales tax in Herington for street and building repair hasn't sparked much discussion, City Manager Ron Strickland said.

The 10-year tax is due to expire Dec. 31, and the city is asking for another decade. Herington's total sales tax is 7.8 percent.

"I think people understand their taxes won't go up and the out-of-town people who visit help pay for that tax," Strickland said. "Of course, there are people who just don't like taxes. This is just a good way to raise money and keep improving the city of Herington's infrastructure."

nA new 0.5 sales tax in Stockton would raise $75,000 to $85,000 a year. The plan is to funnel the new revenue into a capital improvement plan to either remodel or replace the city-owned Solomon Valley Manor, said Keith Schlaegel, Stockton city manager.

"It's about 40 years old and needs attention," he said.

The tax, which will be in effect from July 1 until June 30, 2019, will raise the sales tax rate in Stockton from 6.8 percent to 7.3 percent, Schlaegel said.

nPlainville's request for a 1 percent sales tax isn't designated for any single project, but Mayor Shirley Hendrex said the estimated $300,000 a year in revenue that would be generated has many uses.

Mill Street, Plainville's main street, is in need of reconstruction, she said, which will cost about $4 million. While that project is being done, Hendrex said it would make sense to replace the water lines under the street.

"Our swimming pool is over 50 years old. I would say within the next five years, we're going to have to build a new swimming pool," she said.

If approved, Plainville's sales tax rate will jump from 6.3 percent to 7.3 percent.

nRussell County is asking voters to renew a 0.5 percent countywide sales tax until Dec. 31, 2014, keeping the rate at 7.3 percent throughout the county.

Enacted in 1999, the sales tax was renewed in 2004, said Lenny Tyson, county public service administrator.

Through 2008, the sales tax has generated nearly $3.7 million.

Half of the tax is used for economic development and the other half is divided among Russell County's eight incorporated cities.

The county received $274,744 last year, nearly $1.8 million total through 2008. The city of Russell received $225,127 in 2008, and nearly $1.5 million total.

Some of the money was used to build a new swimming pool in 2000, Russell City Manager Ralph Wise said.

"Our share has been increasing," he said. "We're excited that folks are shopping Russell."

In contrast, Paradise, population 60, has received more than $18,000 from the tax, Tyson said.

"It's a benefit to everybody involved and it's been very worthwhile," he said. "If there is such a thing as a fair tax, it's sales tax."

nExpecting its general fund to drop $200,000 from cuts in state aid, the Russell School District is asking voters for authority to raise the local option budget 1 percent. That amount would generate about $70,000.

"It's not a great amount of money, but it certainly helps," Superintendent David Couch said. "It's trying to maintain what we currently have."

The district, with 1,000 students, operates on just over $11 million each year and nearly $2 million of that comes from the LOB.

n Reporter Tim Unruh can be reached at 822-1419 or by e-mail at tunruh@salina.com.