The Greene County Schools board of education discussed the failed bond issue at its work session Oct. 19 and agreed to proceed toward an April 4 bond referendum.
Members of the Pay It Forward committee attended, and board members Sam Harding and John McConnell shared information from a meeting with Dr Steve and Julie Karber, who co-chaired the committee with Tanner Lawton. Mark and Wendy Vander Linden, who were also very active on the committee, were at the Wednesday meeting.
The consensus at the meeting was that although the proposal failed, the bigger disappointment was that more parents of students didn’t vote.
Mentioned as reasons for the “no” votes were confusion over the money spent a few years ago on the Intermediate school, other possibilities for funding, the competition gym, and no closure plan for the vintage buildings.
Board member Ashley Johnston, the only member of the Greene County board who served previously on the East Greene board, said she has spent the last month talking with voters in the eastern part of the county. “There definitely is a trust issue there,” she said.
Residents there thought the lack of a commitment to raze the Grand Junction building if the proposal passed was interpreted as a plan to saddle the city of Grand Junction with that expense. “We’re a new board and they’re a little resistant to everything. I think transparency with them is very important.”
Superintendent Tim Christensen in September had listed April, June or September as options for another bond referendum. Johnston said she had initially favored an April election to keep the momentum going from the previous campaign. “After talking more with them (eastern Greene County voters) I think a lot of people over there say, ‘It’s too soon. It’s being rammed down our throats. We need some time’,” Johnston said.
The conversation immediately turned to the “alarm bells” that go off in September with property taxes due, and that farmers at that time are generally nervous about harvest and crop prices. Board president David Ohrt interjected that April is a hopeful time as people put seed into the ground.
Johnston also mentioned that voters who attended the town hall meetings held by the Pay It Forward committee were sometimes disgruntled that the committee couldn’t answer detailed questions about school finance and financial issues historically. She suggested the board follow up those meetings with another meeting to answer those questions.
Christensen said that he and the board did most of the work promoting the 2015 bond proposal, and that the Pay It Forward committee did most of the work in 2016. “A third time around there needs to be a better balance of the Pay It Forward committee and the board. The board has to be out there a little bit more,” Christensen said. Board members should attend the meetings not to promote the bond issue, but to provide necessary facts, he said.
The board discussed the proposed gymnasium, wondering if there were an alternate source of funds for at least part of it, or if eliminating it would gain more “yes” votes or more “no” votes. Board member Sam Harding said a gym is essential with eight grades of students at the proposed 5-12 building. He said the cost of a gym adequate for phys ed classes is $3 million, and that putting in the amenities needed for interscholastic competition adds another $500,000.
Wendy Vander Linden talked about the importance of community. She talked about divisive things that were said following the election. “It’s important as we move forward to remember it’s not about one group that said ‘no.’ This was a community decision… No one is out there to try and anger one part of the community…. If we can approach it from a standpoint… that it’s about building a community school, this is a point of unification for us. This is a chance for us to say we’re no longer East Greene and Jefferson-Scranton. We are Greene County Schools. This can unify us and move us forward in a good direction,” she said.
Kate Neese, a former East Greene board member, admonished the board to use words carefully when talking about the eastern part of the county. “It is a division. Coming from Grand Junction, we always felt that division. You’ve got to be careful about your words,” Neese said.
Harding reassured her that there were “plenty of ‘no’ voters in Jefferson.”
The board agreed by consensus that April is the best time for a bond referendum. The board cannot circulate a petition to call an election, but will look to the Pay It Forward committee for that.
The board directed Christensen to report at the Oct. 24 town hall meeting in Jefferson that the board is “strongly considering” an April bond referendum.
