Voters to decide on $12 million in school bonds
School District proposes facility consolidation
by Duane Williams, KLCB-KTNY Radio
October 22, 2010
Libby School District Number 4 voters will get the chance in February to say yes or no to the school district's proposal to issue bonds to the tune of $12 million. The district wants to consolidate students into two buildings, downsizing from the current three. Asa Wood will be closed. The middle school will become the elementary school, with the current high school merging the junior high and senior high students.
The big question is, given the state of the local economy, will the taxpayers, support the bond initiative to fund the consolidation, which the school board has said can and will take place, $12 million dollars or not. The board has said the consolidation can be done for a million, without additional infrastructure changes at the high school and middle school buildings such as additional gymnasiums, a segregated area for the 7 and 8 graders at the high school, and structural configuration changes at both buildings. A segregated area will be established at the elementary school for kindergarten through third grade. The plan includes two food services kitchens, something the schools have not had since the close of the Historic High School lunch room many, many years ago.
The Libby schools have downsized from seven operating buildings in the 70s and 80s, to today's three operating units. The student census continues to decline. The proposal reduces the system to only two operating units.
The vote will be by mail-in ballot, hopefully generating a larger response than the traditional polling place. Ballots will be mailed in mid January and must be returned by February 7th.
The plan does require a tax increase to retire the 20-year bonds.
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Story by Duane Williams, KLCB-KTNY Radio, www.todaysbestcountryonline.com, e-mail: klcb@frontiernet.net.
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