School board considering when to call for bond election

    The USD 443 Board of Education is mulling over whether it wants to build a new middle school or remodel an existing building, and when it should call for a bond issue election.
    USD 443 staff presented the school board with various options to consider Monday night, but the board did not take action, public information director Seth Eckelman said Tuesday.
    The board had requested information regarding an election timeline after receiving the results of a survey to gauge community support for additional middle-school facilities.
    The board must weigh several factors in deciding when to have the election, including cost, requirements for publishing bond documents and ballot language and the time it will take to develop detailed architectural plans and specifications, according to information provided by the district. The board must also establish a campaign committee, raise funds and educate the public about the project.
    Eckelman said the district cannot conduct a special election 60 days before or after the Nov. 4 general election, and it's generally not a good idea to conduct a bond issue election in November. That leaves two other options: Conduct the election on Sept. 2, or wait until Jan. 27, 2009.
    If the school board decides on a Sept. 2 election, it would have until June 13 to determine the scope of the project, call for the election and seek approval from the State Board of Education. The first notice of the election would be published July 31.
    If the board settles on a November election, it would have until Oct. 9 to complete the preliminary steps and publish the first election notice. And if it decides to wait until January, it would have until Jan. 1 to complete those steps.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A story on other developments from the school board meeting will appear in Thursday's edition of the Daily Globe.

Reach Eric Swanson at (620) 408-9917 or e-mail him at eric.swanson@dodgeglobe.com.