Federal heavy impact aid will be a key component in paying for a proposed new Junction City High School.

Due to a delay in approval of the fiscal year 2017 budget by Congress the aid did not arrive for USD 475 as early as expected this past spring, but the money was eventually released to the school district.

During a town hall meeting in Junction City on Friday, Senator Jerry Moran said the next step is to get through fiscal year 2018. “I continue to believe that impact aid, heavy impact aid and regular impact aid will be strongly supported by Congress.”

Moran added money is being appropriated at the same level as last year. “On impact aid for this school district, as I say, I think the support by members of Congress remains strong, it will happen. If there’s a continuing resolution, and it’s a short term one it may delay while we work through that budget the arrival of that impact aid.” Moran also stated, ” If there’s a long term continuing resolution, in other words we can’t get our act together and figure out how to spend money, and we’re just going to spend next year at the same level as this year, if it’s a year long continuing resolution  then it would be no change, the timing would be the same and the amount of money would be the same.”

Federal heavy impact funds are one piece of the funding plan for the proposed new high school. State aid would also provide a big portion of the funding if voters approve a school bond issue on November 7th. Voter approval in that election would be necessary for  the district to receive the state funding for the project. School district officials have made it clear no local property tax money would be used to pay for the new school.