Oneida County voters are asked to go to the polls on Tuesday, May 20, to vote in the school bond refinancing election. The polls will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Event Center at the Fairgrounds. Early voting will be from May 5 to May 16, excluding the weekend of May 10-11, at the Oneida County Courthouse.

The election became necessary when the State passed new legislation, resulting in funding already allocated to the School District through the Bond Equalization program being pulled. The maximum bonding capacity for the Oneida School District is about $30 million, of which the State had allocated 38% until that funding was withdrawn.  The result was that the School District will take much longer to pay off the bond, using State school facility funds as are allocated to all districts based on student average daily attendance. Unless the law is changed, the School District can make the required annual bond payment without raising property taxes using these funds. These funds from the State are based only on the average daily attendance of students enrolled in its brick-and-mortar schools, not the online charter school (IHLA).

The Idaho Enterprise discussed the effect of the election on property taxes last week. In a nutshell, if the bond passes, the school district’s property tax assessment will continue to be $0. However, the time to pay off the bond will be extended.

WHY DID THE SCHOOL DISTRICT BUILD BALL FIELDS WHEN IT DID NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY FOR THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL?

This week’s question addresses the issue of the new baseball and softball fields currently under construction across the street from Malad High School. People want to know why ball fields are being built when money is needed to pay off the school’s bond.

The ball fields were part of the $29-million-dollar bond that passed in 2023. While building the elementary school was the number one priority, the ball fields were included in the bond ballot language. That meant that once the bond was passed, the District was obligated to build the ball fields just as they had committed to building the school. 

Both projects were completed as required by the bond language. No additional funds beyond the $29 million authorized by the bond have been requested to complete the projects. 

The bond in 2023 also authorized a study into the cost of building an auditorium. Preliminary work was done in this area. An additional bond would have to be passed to build an auditorium. 

Superintendent Abrams welcomes questions from individuals or organizations. He has been holding public meetings with organizations to explain the funding situation and will be holding a general public meeting at a later date. He welcomes the chance to meet with individuals or groups. To set up an appointment with Mr. Abrams, don’t hesitate to get in touch with him at [email protected] or call him at 208-705-3723.