It’s not a done deal, but the Deputy Commissioner of Education Dale Dennis expects to see a proposal in the 2017 Legislature restoring more state aid for school district bond and interest projects. He provided that information to a USD 475 Board of Education meeting with area legislators on Thursday.

The current level is 48%, but the proposal would increase that level back up to 69%, retroactive to 2015. If that passes it would mean more state aid for a possible new Junction City High School project.

The Superintendent of Schools in USD 475, Dr. Corbin Witt, knows this proposal could be helpful with funding such a project. “There’s a possibility of them going back and going to the old formula. That is a 20% change for us.” Witt added the state rate for bond and interest used to be 69%. “And we actually now had dropped down to 48%. In all of our projections for the potential bond issue we’re using the 48%.”

In order for a new high school to be built a bond issue would have to be approved by local voters so state aid could be obtained to help fund the project. That state aid and federal heavily impacted military aid received by the school district would be used to finance a new high school.