The Junction City Area Chamber of Commerce has issued a release announcing that this past summer the Chamber Board of Directors voted to support the proposed new high school bond issue. The vote was to specifically support the bond issue only, not a specific location or details regarding the new high school.
They have also issued a letter to community leaders from the “Say Yes to JCHS Campaign Co-chairs Terrah Stroda and Jim Schmidt that includes talking points on the bond.
A new JCHS would bring grades 9 through 12 together again under one roof and would be a state of the art facility providing the space and amenities necessary to enable our children to be productive and competitive graduates prepared for life’s opportunities, including colleges and universities around the nation. In addition, the new school would be a community epicenter capable of attracting statewide sporting, music and scholastic events that will showcase JCHS students and benefit the local economy by bringing people to Junction City for such events.
Reasons for a “Yes” vote:
–Geary USD 475 spends approximately $500,000 each year to maintain the current Junction City High School. The current building has served as a facility for learning in Geary County for nearly 60 years. Not only has the school provided an educational commitment, but it has also become a training center for the community’s future.
–A new high school funded by leveraging state and heavy impact aid funds will give the district a unique opportunity to build a new high school that the community can be proud of without causing any direct or additional burden to the taxpayer.
–Heavy Impact Aid is money USD 475 receives for having a high military presence within their student population. The school district can only use that money for building improvement projects. $40,500,000 is the amount of Heavy Impact Aid that USD 475 currently has in the bank, saved and ready for this project.
–The current bond issue finance break down: 47% State Aid, obtained by a yes vote on November 7, 35.2% Heavy Impact Aid, 9.62% Current Mill Levy, 8.12% Interest Earnings on the Heavy Impact Aid currently in the bank.
–A new high school has the potential to bring with it additional economic impacts. Fort RIley is one entity that routinely brings families in and out of the area. Nearly 60% of the school district’s student population is military connected. Families moving to Fort Riley have a decision about where to live. Much of that decision is commonly based on educational opportunities.
–State and regional events could be held at a new facility, bringing with it revenue hotel, restaurants and retail expenditures. Construction of a new school would also bring in a work force who will need a place to stay and eat during the building process.
–Public schools are a critical component of the national and local economies, preparing young people for a wide range of careers, developing their ability to be lifelong learners, and provided the well-educated workforce essential to family prosperity, business advancement and economic success in the global marketplace.
Businesses are encouraged to hang business signs, wear a “Say Yes” button, and add the “Say Yes” on November 7 to electronic signage.