On November 7 voters in Geary USD 475 will cast ballots on a school bond issue question for a proposed new Junction City High School.

One member of the Board of Education, Carolyn Gaston, wants staff to ensure information gets to the older members of the population. They do have plans to disseminate information on the proposal both online, through social media and via traditional media such as newspaper and AM radio.

Gaston told a Board of Education meeting audience Tuesday that in the county demographics the largest group of people involves the older segment of the population, who may not have an interest in computers. She added that those are the people who “get out to vote” so another vehicle will be necessary to inform them beyond computers….a personal approach. “They have a lot of questions, they do vote, and they are a taxpayer so I think anything we can do to get it out to them on a more paper focus will be great for them, they read a lot and I talk to them a lot.”

Gaston said her emphasis would be more one-on-one visits with the older segment of the community and by going to visit with them at their meetings. She felt they could ask questions there instead of at a big meeting where they may feel like they get lost in the crowd.

Gaston does believe younger members of the population will go to the polls. “We do have a lot of young members on the steering committee. They’re interested, they want it, but I do think it’ll come back to the older people who actually will make the determination on whether it passes or not.”

If voters approve the bond issue USD 475 will be eligible to receive state aid covering 47% of the cost of the project. The remainder of the funding would come from federal heavily impacted military aid received by the school district.  District officials have made it clear that there would not be any increase in the local property tax levy.