The vote on the school bond is scheduled for Tuesday, May 20.  Early voting has already started and will continue until the 16th.  

The bond that was passed to build the new Malad Elementary School has had an eventful life so far, though “Eventful” doesn’t always mean fun.  The bond was originally passed under a legislative framework whereby the school district was able to anticipate funds into the future that would comfortably allow the bond to be repaid without incurring any extra tax burden on citizens.  This was largely due to the way that funds to school districts were calculated, the process of bond equalization that was created to support smaller and rural school districts, and the way that IHLA was treated as part of the school district under state law.

As a result of the legislature changing all of those things during the previous session, many of what had been considered the rules in place were upended.

The net result is that the school district has been obligated to hold a vote to provide voter authorization for what is essentially the refinancing of the bond from a much shorter period of time (originally three years) to a more conventional twenty or so years before it is paid off.  

Superintendent Jon Abrams hosted a meeting on Monday to answer questions from the public, and he was joined by members of the school board as they discussed how the situation had become what it currently is.  

It was noted by one of the residents in attendance that the school board and superintendent had promised that the building of the new school would not result in an increase in taxes to anyone in the community.  Abrams acknowledged and reiterated his dedication to making sure that was the case.  As he explained to those in attendance, had the legislature not changed the rules that had been in effect when the bod was passed, there would not be any problem with the funding.  Even with the changes, the district will be able to fund the bond, just not in the same short window of time.  As was repeated several times, there is no desire or plan to use the bond passage to increase taxes.

Some confusion exists as a result of the required bond language, which indicates that the district “may raise” taxes up to around $150 per $100,000 of taxable property.  Abrams stated that this was a legal requirement of the bond language, but that he and the board were committed to not using that language to in fact increase taxes.  The bond that was passed two years ago contained language allowing the district to raise taxes almost ten times that amount, but the district has “not even considered it” according to the board.

The extension of the terms of the bond would have an effect on future construction plans, most obviously as it relates to a potential auditorium.  An auditorium was going to be the next step in the process as the building and ballpark costs were paid down to allow for new bonding capacity; however, those plans will be on a slower track for the foreseeable future.

The building and ballfield, though, are already finalized and there is no danger of them being left in an incomplete state.   

A lawsuit against the state brought by the school district is still in progress.  The fact that the changes in the state rules governing funding districts were acknowledged to “only affect Oneida county” makes some settlement on the issue possible, if not likely.  While there is little chance all of the removed funding will be restored, some portion of it will potentially be recouped for use toward the bond in the future.  The case, however, will not likely be resolved anytime soon.

In the meantime, Superintendent Abrams made the impassioned case that he was not attempting to hide anything or mislead anyone.  Several people in the audience on Monday mentioned that they had been angry about the situation, but found Abram’s explanation satisfying and felt better about where things stood.  Abrams has offered to speak with individuals and groups about the issue in the run-up to the election, and reasserted his intention to make good on that offer to anyone who asks.  

Abrams provided several ways to contact him, including [email protected] and 208-735-3723